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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



bSCoc 

Chap.._ ^ Copyright No.. 
Slielf.BB-/^ 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



How to Understand and 
Use the Bible 



V 



By J^Ht BRYAN 



AUTHOR OF 

^Whai, Why and How of Sunday-School Work.^^ 



St. Louis 

CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY 

1900 



25801 



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72775 



JUL 37 i.uJ 
AUG 3 I90U 




r^o 



Copyrighted, 1900, by 
Christian Publishing Company 



PREFACE. 



To RIGHTLY understand the Word of God and 
skillfully use the Sword of the Spirit should be 
the earnest desire of every disciple of Christ. In 
an effort to gratify this desire, the author has gath- 
ered together that which is here set down in order, 
and presents it to the public with the hope that 
^others may receive as much pleasure and benefit in 
jreading the book as he has had in its preparation. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Vai,uk of B1B1.K Study ... 7 

II. OUT1.1NK BiBi,E Studies . . .11 

III. How TO Study the Bibi.e — Spirit . 19 

IV. How TO Study the Bibi.e — Helps . 26 
V. How TO Study the ^yqi^^— Methods . 30 

VI. Common Mistakes . . . .40 
VII. How TO ' Mark the Bibi,e . . 52 
VIII. How TO Use the ^yq\,^— For Self . 60 
IX. How TO Use the B1BI.E— /« Public 

Work .68 

X. How TO Use the Bibi.e — In Personal 

Work .... .76 

BIBLE READINGS. 

EoR Speciai, C1.ASSES 87 

Generai, 101 



HOW TO UNDERSTAND AND 
USE THE BIBLE. 



CHAPTER I. 
Value of Bible Study. 

THE Bible is^ and is a potent factor in the affairs 
of men. It has the largest circulation and 
the most influence of any book in the world. Its 
scope is broader, dealing as it does with man's 
present, and telling him whence he came and 
whither he is going. Its principles underlie every 
relation of life, and its teachings affect time and 
eternity. It is so woven into the world's history, 
and our civilization is so permeated with it, that he 
is but an uneducated man, whatever else he may 
know, who is not familiar with its pages. 

That it ever affects the world for good, and brings 
happiness and prosperity and peace, is the univer- 
sal testimony of all the great and good who have 
observed its power. Queen Victoria declares 
the Bible to be "the secret of England's great- 
ness, ' ' while Andrew Jackson says it is ' 'the rock 
upon which our republic rests." General Grant 
exclaims, ''Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet- 
anchor of our liberties; write its precepts on your 
hearts, and practice them in vour lives. To the in- 
7 



8 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

fluence of this book we are indebted for the prog- 
ress in true civiHzation, and to this we must look 
as our guide in the future. ' ' 

Thomas Jefferson, looking at the individual, 
rather than the nation, wrote: "I have always said, 
and always will say, that the studious perusal of 
the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better 
fathers and better husbands;" while Theodore 
Parker believes "There is not a boy nor a girl, all 
Christendom through, but their lot is made better 
by this great book." Indeed, a volume might 
readily be filled with not only opinions, but with 
facts, all going to show that the open Bible has 
given to the nations which welcome it prosperity 
in material things, health of body and mind, vic- 
tory in peace and in war, security to home and 
nation, and at the same time freed men from debas- 
ing customs, broken the chains of darkness and 
superstition, opened up new fields for thought, 
given higher aspirations for time and eternity, and 
presents a character for man's imitation which is 
at once attractive, elevating and inspiring. 

This book has been robbed of its power, at times, 
by a superstitious reverence which holds that it is 
too holy for ordinary men and women to read 
and too high for them to understand. It has been 
said that the devil delights to hear a man say that 
he does not read the book of Revelation, because 
he cannot understand it; for that book is the only 
one which speaks of the de\dl being in chains. 
When we look at God's Book of Nature, and con- 



AND USE THE BIBLE. 



sider that man has but recently learned his A B C's 
and is still in the primer, after 6000 years, it should 
surprise no one that in God's Book of Revelation 
there are depths still unf athomed, heights unsealed, 
and that the world has not fully grasped the truths 
revealed in all their length and breadth. God's 
Word, as God's world, is practically inexhaustible, 
and the inability of man to comprehend all, is but 
a proof of God's infinite wisdom. Yet the Bible 
was written to be read, studied and understood. 
We are constantly admonished in the Scriptures to 
read the Word, and blessings are pronounced upon 
those who hear and heed. God requires men to 
come and reason with him, and in the revelation of 
his will he uses the words, the images and the cus- 
toms of every day life to make that revelation 
plain. The message, it is true, is from heaven, but 
it is clothed in the language of men, and was de- 
livered to the world through men. It is not true, 
as some have supposed, that the Bible is composed 
of enigmas and dark sayings, but it was given by 
inspiration that it might be ' 'profitable for doctrine, 
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in right- 
eousness, that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto every good work. ' ' It 
is only when men harden their hearts that they do 
not understand. 

It is not only a duty and privilege to understand 
the Bible, but also to use it. It has been given to 
us as the Sword of the Spirit, and as good soldiers 
we should be skilled in its use, both in offensive 



10 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

and defensive warfare. There is no other weapon 
which will do such effective service. Opinions of 
men, philosophy, the wisdom of this world have 
all been tried, and have uniformly failed. It is 
only when as good soldiers we take the weapon 
furnished by the Captain of our salvation, and use 
it with the skill which comes with perfect familiar- 
ity and constant practice, that we can do the best 
work. 

Jesus himself set the example in the use of the 
Scriptures in the very beginning of his public min- 
istry, when he met and put to route the great Ene- 
my with "Thus it is written. " 

Again the Word is represented as the seed of the 
kingdom. This seed must be sown if it ever brings 
forth fruit, and it is given into the hands of the 
followers of the Master to sow the seed. If they 
sow carelessly, or sparingly, they will reap sparing- 
ly; while a careful, wisely-planned and abundant 
sowing will bring an abundant reaping. It is not 
enough to know our Bibles, but we must know how 
to use them if we hope to achieve the greatest vic- 
tories for Christ and his cause. 

It is an encouraging fact that never in the world's 
history were so many earnestly endeavoring to un- 
derstand and anxious to know how to use this 
Blessed Book. In helping them, clouds of dark- 
ness may be dispelled, opportunities for usefulness 
discovered and the gates of heaven opened. 



AND USE THE BIBLE 11 



CHAPTER II. 
Outline Bible Studies. 

IT often helps to a better understanding of a sub- 
ject to see the general outline before we study 
the details. Looking at the subject as a whole, we 
can see the parts not only as they are in themselves, 
but also as they are related to each other and to the 
whole. So with the Bible. In this chapter some 
general views or outlines will be given, which are 
designed to help in the further study of the sacred 
Scriptures. 

Names. — In the Bible we find a number of names 
given to itself, all indicative of its contents and 
character. Chief among them are: The Scriptures, 
Holy Scriptures, Oracles of God, Word of God, 
Word of the Lord, W^ord of Truth, Word of Faith, 
Word of Life. The name Bible was given in the 
fourth century by Chrysostom to the collection of 
writings recognized by the church at that time as 
sacred. The name is from the Greek, Biblia^ and 
indicates a collection of books. In common par- 
lance we call a collection of books a library, and. 
this library of sixty-six books we call The Bible. 
Only when we look upon the Bible as a library, 
made up of different books, written by different 
authors, addressed to different people, can we un- 
derstand it. At the same time, we must recognize 
the fact that through the whole collection there 



12 ' HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

runs a common purpose and a progressive revela- 
tion of the divine will, while the Christ stands as 
the central figure, to which all before him points 
forward, and all after him points backward. 

Divisions. — Literary. — As our Bibles are printed, 
we at once recognize two general divisions, called 
the Old and the New Testaments. These each 
have relation to a covenant made between the Ivord 
and the children of men. Under these two general 
divisions the various books are arranged in accord- 
ance to the subjects treated and their literary char- 
acter. This is sometimes at variance with the 
chronological order of the events treated, and of 
the composition of the books. The first group of 
books in the Old Testament is called The I^aw, or 
the Books of Moses. It covers the period from 
creation until the death of the great Law-giver, and 
contains, besides much history, the law given 
through Moses, under which the Jews lived for 
1500 years, and which is the foundation of the 
common law of nearly all civilized nations to-day. 
Twelve books of History follow, covering, in part, 
the fortunes of the Israelites from the conquest of 
Canaan to the return from the captivity of Babylon. 
I'ive books of Poetry are next, which are thrown 
together without regard to author or chronology. 
Seventeen books of prophetical writings follow, 
divided into Major Prophets and Minor Prophets. 
These contain some history and some poetry, but 
the most is composed of the words of the prophets, 
calling the nation to repentance and a better life, 



AND USE THE BIBLE IS 

or to foretelling the great events which were to 
come to pass with the advent of the Messiah. 

Turning to the New Testament, we find an equal- 
ly orderly arrangement. The four Lives of Jesus 
are grouped, and followed by the History of the 
carrying out of his Great Commission to the apos- 
tles as given by Luke. Naturally the Letters of 
the Apostle Paul follow, and then the letters of 
others which have been preserved, giving, as they 
all do, instructions for living a Christian life, with 
words of warning, encouragement and exhortation. 
Last in the collection is a book of Prophecy, be- 
ginning with letters of comfort and warning to the 
churches of Asia, then opening the roll of the 
future and giving a vision of the ages, closing with 
a description of the New Jerusalem coming down 
out of heaven as a bride adorned for her hifsband. 
The following diagram will present to the eye what 
we have in words presented to the mind: 



Ol<D Tkstamknt. 


Nkw Testament. 


The Law 5 

History 12 

Poetry 5 

Major Prophets 5 

Minor Prophets 12 


Biography 4 

History 1 

Paul's Letters 14 

General Letters 7 

Prophecy 1 



The Rabbis divided the Jewish Scriptures into 
the Law, The Psalms and The Prophets, and this 
division was recognized by the Master, Luke 34: 44. 



14 



HOJV TO UNDERSTAND 



Another division of the New Testament is into 
Biographical, Historical, Doctrinal and Prophetical 
l)ooks; thus making seven parts in the whole book. 

The golden candlestick, with its seven lamps, 
which gave the light to the Holy Place in the 
tabernacle is a fit 
symbol of the Bible, 
which should give to 
the church, typified 
by the Holy Place, all 
its light. These seven 
divisions correspond 
to the seven lamps. 
The lives of Christ 
properly are the central 
division, it being that 
around which all the 
others group, and 
which gives them their 
value, as the central 
post of the lamp supports and gives worth to all 
the rest. These divisions are indicated by the 
accompanying figure. 

Divisions. — Historical. — In striking contrast with 
the sacred books of other religions, composed as 
they are of accounts of dreams and visions and of 
speculations, theories, fancies and philosophisings, 
the Bible is made up largely of the accounts of 
facts. The historian finds here that which will bear 
the test of the most exacting rules of his science, 
and he soon makes his outline of events, regardless 




AND USE THE BIBLE 15 

of the literary classification of others. Following 
him, we trace the important events and periods, 
such as the creation and fall, the ante-diluvian and 
post-diluvian periods, the lives of Abraham, Isaac, 
Jacob and Joseph, the deliverance from Egypt, the 
establishment of a nation and the giving of the 
Ivaw through Moses, the settlement in Canaan and 
the rule of the Judges, the establishment of the 
kingdom with Saul as the first king, its extension 
by David, the building of the temple by Solomon, 
the division of the kingdom, the carrying away 
into captivity, the return from Babylon, and subse- 
quent history in the Old Testament; and in the New, 
the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus, the minis- 
try of John, the baptism and public ministry of 
Jesus, his death, burial and resurrection, the estab- 
lishment of his kingdom in Jerusalem on Pentecost, 
th« spread of the gospel to Judea and Samaria, the 
acceptance of Gentiles into the church, and its 
extension to Asia Minor, to Europe and to Rome; 
the strengthening of the churches by letters, and 
finally the giving of the revelation to John the Be- 
loved, which showed forth the trials and final 
triumph of the church and the eternal joy of the 
saints. 

The life of Christ, from the view-point of the 
historian, has been divided into seven periods, as 
follows : 

1. Thirty Years of Preparation. 

2. The Year of Obscurity. 

3. The Year of Popularity. 



16 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

4. The Year of Opposition. 

6. The Week of the Passion. 

6. The Day of the Crucifixion. 

7. The Forty Days After the Resurrection. 

The New Testament is divided into the records of 

1. The facts of the Gospel (Gospels). 

2. The conversions of the Gospel (Acts). 

3. The lyife of the converts (Letters). 

4. The trials and triumphs of the church (Reve- 
lation). 

Dates. — ^The four thousand years of Old Testa- 
ment history may be divided into periods, so that 
the approximate date of any event may be known 
to those who are at all acquainted with the history. 
On mountain-peaks, one thousand years apart, we 
find the great historical characters, Adam, Knoch, 
Abraham, Solomon and Christ. In the valleys 
between, five hundred years from these, Jared, Noah, 
Moses and Ezra. A diagram of this is as follows: 



40OO 




3000 2000 1000 




ADAM 




ENOCH ABRAHAM 50L0MQN CHRIST 1 


^.N 


UARED 


f \mqmj^0 


yMOSES^\ 


EZRA^A 




^5/ 


"^^r^ 


-^Jvyw^ 


^it^' \s!S. 




3500 


2500 


i5oa 


500 



The approximate date of the lives of Isaac, 
Jacob and Joseph may readily be obtained by re- 
membering that they lived after Abraham and be- 
fore Moses. So between Moses and Solomon come 
Joshua and the Judges, Samuel and Saul and David. 



AND USE THE BIBLE 17 

Dispensations. — When we turn again and look at 
the Bible from the view-point of religion, we find 
that in God's dealings w^th the children of men 
there have been three separate and distinct dispen- 
sations. The first begins with Adam and ends 
with Moses, including Enoch, Noah, Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob, and is called the Patriarchal Dis- 
pensation. In this God deals Vvdth the individual 
or the family through its head. The worship is 
conducted by the father of the tribe, and God's 
revelations are made to him. The records of this 
dispensation are found in the book of Genesis. 
In the second dispensation the family widens to 
the nation. The tribe of Levi has charge of the 
worship, and the high priest is of the family of Aaron. 
Spoken messages and miraculous interventions give 
way to the more permanent plan of a written law 
and a nation settled in its own land. The records 
of this dispensation are from Exodus to Malachi, 
and the time is from Moses until Christ, 1500 years. 

In the third dispensation, the Gospel is designed 
for the whole world. The forms and ceremonies, 
which are types of Christ, give way, having been 
fulfilled in him. Offerings of sacrifices cease, as he 
has been offered once for all, and God's revelation 
of himself is now a life, instead of written or 
spoken w^ords. The records are the whole of the 
New Testament, and the time from Christ to the 
judgment. 

The Patriarchal Dispensation has been called the 
starlight age; the Jewish Dispensation, the moon- 
2 



18 HOJV TO UNDERSTAND 

light age, and the Christian Dispensation, the sun- 
light age. We are living in the Christian Dis- 
pensations, and while the literature of the former 
dispensations is valuable in showing God's dealings 
with man, and in throwing light upon the Scriptures 
of the Christian Dispensation, we must remember the 
facts we are to believe, the commands we are to 
obey and the promises we are [to enjoy, are to be 
found in the New Testament Scriptures. Should a 
man desire to beconie a Patriarch or a Jew, let him 
search the Scriptures of those dispensations, but if 
a Christian, he will find explicit directions in the 
New Testament. 

The following diagram will help fix the points 
above, mentioned, in the mind. 

Three Dispensations. 

PATBIAECHAL. JEWISH. CHRISTIAN. 

2500 years. 1500 years. ? 

Adam to Moses. Moses to Christ. Christ to Judgment. 

Family. Nation. World. 

Spoken Words. Written I^aws. I,ife of Jesus. 

Genesis. Exodus to Malachi. New Testament. 

Starlight. Moonlight. Sunlight. 

It is now the privilege of each to rejoice in the 
sunlight of the Gospel, being no* longer under the 
law, but under grace. Since the law has served as 
our tutor to bring us to Christ, let us sit at his feet 
and drink in the glorious truths which are able to 
make us wise unto salvation. 



AND USE THE BIBLE 19 



CHAPTER III. 
How to Study the Bible. 

SPIRIT. 

<<nnHK way to resume is to resume/' said Horace 
1 Greeley, in regard to the resumption of specie 
payment. The way to study the Bible is to study 
it. If wishing to be wise, praying for light and 
guidance and professing to love and reverence the 
Bible would take the place of study, many now 
ignorant would be well versed in heavenly wisdom. 
To search the Scriptures is not only the divinely 
ordained way, but the only way in which we may 
understand them, and be prepared to use them. 

Again, the way to study the Bible is to study the 
Bible. Knowing what men have said and are say- 
ing about the Bible cannot fill the demand of study- 
ing the Bible itself, and much time which should be 
spent in the study of the Bible is devoted to the 
opinions of men. Our colleges have not been free 
from the fault of substituting for the Bible a system 
of theology, so that the student came out versed in 
theology and ignorant of the Bible. Not only so, 
but came out also with a bent in the direction of 
other books. 

We should make the Bible the center of our oper- 
ations, using only those helps which we need to aid 
us in its understanding. And first we should begin 
with what, (1) The text says: An accurate knowl- 



20 HO IV TO UNDERSTAND 

edge of the letter of the Scriptures is very much 
needed. Doubtful teaching and unstable profes- 
sion are due to superficial and in many cases 
second-hand acquaintance with the Word of God, 
Let us hear what the Spirit saith^ for we may be 
sure that the Holy Spirit makes men wise up to, 
never beyond, what is written. When Christ 
opened the understanding of his disciples, it was 
*'that they might understand the Scriptures." 
Lydia's heart was opened to attend unto the things 
spoken by Paul. Whatever is taught contrar}^ to 
the Word of God, or in addition to it, or less than it 
says, is from the spirit of darkness. Both in un- 
derstanding and in using the Bible, we must know 
what it says. This la^^s the foundation for a knowl- 
edge of (2) What it means: The careful study of 
the statement of one passage and comparison with 
parallel passages, will give, in most cases, a pretty 
clear idea of the meaning. If it does not, we should 
then appeal to outside helps, using freely the best 
to be had. Dictionaries, commentaries, etc., will 
be found useful, but should be used as helps; we 
are studying the Bible! 

Having mastered what the text says and means, we 
are ready to look for what (3) The text teaches: An 
inaccurate knowledge of the statements, or a partial 
understanding of the meaning of the text, or both, 
will give us a defective, if not a false teaching. 
What the text teaches is the really important thing, 
and no pains should be spared to ascertain it. This 
teaching may be threefold. First, in regard to the 



AND USE THE BIBLE, 21 

subject in hand; second, what example, precept or 
principle which applies to our times, and third, 
what lessons are there for the student himself. The 
last should be the end to which every lesson is 
studied, for these things were written aforetime 
for our instruction. 

Object. — The object of Bible study is not always 
the same, and the uses made of the knowledge 
gained are quite various. As some one has truly 
said: "Some study the Bible to know more than 
they did, this is vanity; some to be known to 
know more, this is pride; some to make gain by 
their knowledge, this is filthy lucre; some to edify 
others, this is charity; some to edify themselves, 
this is Christian prudence." The study which is 
commended of God is when we turn the words 
into works, and the light into life. 

Spirit. — The spirit in which we study the Bible is 
of supreme importance. He who has tried its pre- 
cepts and trusts its promises will approach it as the 
message of love from his Heavenly Father, and re- 
ceive its teachings with full assurance of faith. He 
who has not thus learned to trust it, should, as a 
wise man, go to it ready to receive whatever good 
there is to be found, even though he believe there 
is in it much which is, to say the least, unprofitable. 
The old woman looking through her bag for bad 
beans, found something wrong with nearly every 
one; when she turned them all back again and 
looked for good ones, she was surprised to find so 
many which met her approval. Two men went to 



22 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

the same city at the same time. One saw only 
crime and shame and debauchery, and came away 
with an awful sense of the depth of the depravity 
of the people. The other saw business integrity, 
philanthropy and Christianity in the great business 
centers, the splendid charity and educational insti- 
tutions and beautiful churches, and virtue and 
happiness in its thousands of homes. Kach found 
that for which he was looking. The skeptic and 
infidel go to the Bible to find flaws, things to criti- 
cise and reasons for disbelief, and often find them, 
when the candid mind would find reasons for glori- 
fying God. It is only fair to ask a man to come to 
the Bible in the same spirit he comes to every other 
book, ready to receive its truth and to make use of 
all which may benefit him. If he finds some things 
which he does not understand, some which seem to 
him unreasonable or contradictory, he should not 
therefore throw away the good because of the seem- 
ing bad. Again, he should remember that many 
things which seemed contradictory have turned 
out upon further study not to be so, and many so- 
called bad things have proved blessings. Poisons 
have become medicines, and the Great American 
Desert, with the aid of irrigation, is being turned 
into rich farming land. The terrible ghost, upon 
nearer approach, became a friendly guide-post. 
Unless 3'e become as a little child ye cannot enter 
the kingdom of heaven. It is the child-spirit which 
gains access everywhere. I^ord Bacon said it was 
the only spirit in which to successfully study 



AND USE THE BIBLE 23 

nature or any of the sciences. The botanist takes 
the little flower in his hand, and, asking it ques- 
tions, lets it tell him of its wonders and beauties. 
The geologist takes a stone in his hand and lets it 
talk to him of the ages agone, while he sits humbly 
and listens to the wondrous story. Then he tells 
the story, and men call him great. The student 
lets the Bible tell its wondrous truths, and he 
repeats them, and his name is written among the 
revered ones. 

But what are the characteristics of this child- 
spirit, which is so essential to an understanding of 
the Bible? 

1. It is Inquiring. — It wants to know. It asks 
questions. It investigates. It has a subject in 
hand, and turns to the Bible to see what God says 
about it. It is the spirit w^hich prompted the 
Bereans to search the Scriptures to see if the things 
spoken were so. It is quite the reverse of the care- 
less, indifferent spirit so often manifested, and is 
well described in the words of the fourth beatitude: 
they '*do hunger and thirst." The blessedness of 
such a spirit is that those possessing it shall be 
filled. 

2. It is Receptive. — The little bird whose mouth 
flies open when the parent comes with the worm, is 
a fit symbol of the child-mind, as it receives the 
mental food brought to it. The child has both eyes 
and ears wide open, and has not learned to close its 
heart against the appeals of God. One of the 
greatest obstacles in the w^ay of older people under- 



24 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

standing the Bible, is the sin in their hearts. We 
must become like little children, free from sin, if 
we wish to be able to receive the truth with readi- 
ness. It is those who gladly receive the truth who 
enter into the joys of fellowship with the Master. 

3. It is Humble. — There is no false pride about 
it. It is ready to acknowledge its ignorance and 
ready to learn. It is not ashamed to ask questions 
when it does not know, nor too proud to learn from 
any source. "The meek will he guide in judg- 
ment, the meek will he teach his way. ' ' We must 
not be wise in our own conceits, but trust in the 
Lord and he will direct our paths. In order to find 
our jewels, we must reject no help, no spade nor 
shovel, pickaxe nor trowel. When God speaks it 
is well for us to stand reverently and listen. One 
of the marks of advancement in knowledge is to be 
conscious of our lack of knowledge — to realize how 
much we do not know. So in the study of the 
Bible, we must become humble, teachable, realiz- 
ing our need before we shall make much progress. 

4. It is Trustful. — We are constantly surprised 
at ourselves when we think how much we receive 
on trust. The child learns his letters, the names of 
all things, his owm parents, and a thousand other 
things, by faith. The scientist believes more than 
half of his stock of knowledge. It is impossible 
to make progress in any study without faith and 
trust. The flower and the Bible teach the same 
lesson — trust, though the scientist does not always 
learn the lesson. God is our Father, and we his 
children. The Bible is his messasre to us. Let us 



AND USE THE BIBLE 25 

trust him, and as we read, believe and obey, because 
he has spoken. In a thousand things which it can- 
not understand the child trusts its father; how 
much more should we trust our Heavenly Father, 
and hear and heed his word. 

5. It is Without Prejudice. — The importance of 
this characteristic cannot be over-estimated. The 
juror who has formed his opinion of the case is dis- 
missed as incompetent to render a just verdict. So 
we are to come to the study of the Bible \\ith no 
theories, no party views, no "school of thought," 
no favorite creed nor opinion to sustain, but come 
to see what it teaches, and all that it teaches. We 
often get out of a passage just what we put into it, 
our thoughts, and not God's at all. Some one says 
the Bible is not to be read by the "blue light of 
Presbyterianism, nor the red light of Methodism, 
nor the violet light of Bpiscopalianism, but by the 
light of the Spirit of God." It is only when we 
come with the colorless desire to know the truth 
that we may hope to receive a full blessing. 

Sin upon the conscience will hinder the under- 
standing. Blindness of heart and alienation from 
God are both a cause and an eifect of darkness. 
There must be first a willing mind, for it is true of 
an old saying, ** Convince a man against his will, 
he will be of the same opinion still.'* We must 
come ready to be convinced of the truth, ready to 
have our error corrected, ready to have our dark- 
ness lightened, ready to have our theory exploded 
if truth demands, ready to exclaim with Paul, "Let 
God be true, though ever}- man be proved a liar." 



26 HOJV TO UNDERSTAND 



CHAPTER IV. 
How to Study the Bible. 

HKI.PS. 

IN studying the Bible to understand it and pre- 
paring to use it, you will need helps. The 
Christian is, or should be, a man of one book, yet he 
should do all in his power to have all the streams 
of wisdom to bring their glory and their honor into 
it. Not many helps are needed, and only such as 
will assist in studying the Bible. We do not wish 
to study the helps. In this study the first thing 
needed is 

I. A Bible. — Get a good one and you will take 
better care of it. You want to use the same Bible, 
for it is like a weapon — you get used to it, and can 
use it more effectively. When I change from an 
Oxford to a Bagster, I am quite at a loss to find pas- 
sages which in my Oxford are quite easily found. 
I know just where on the page they are, and what 
they look like. Then after I have marked my Bible, 
I can find things very readily. Get a Bible with 
the print large, so it will be good to use when you 
are old. Spend a little more and get a flexible 
back, silk sewed, so it will last a lifetime. It will 
grow more precious all the time. Own your own 
Bible, even if you have to buy an inferior one; use 
it, mark it, study it, and hope for the time when 
you can replace it with one of a better grade. 



AND USE THE BIBLE 27 

Be sure, however, you do not get a book too good 
to mark, or you will destroy its usefulness. Get a 
Bible with references in the margin. Your best 
commentary on any passage will then be found in 
the margin. The Sunday-school Teacher's editions 
now have very valuable helps which add much to 
their value, such as are to be found in the Bible Dic- 
tionary, Concordance, Text Book and Atlas. These, 
with a studious comparison with the text, will give 
one most of the help he will need for ordinary 
study. 

2. Bible Text Book and Concordance. — The Sub- 
ject Index in the Teacher's Bibles is an abridgment 
of the first, and while very helpful in some cases, 
is quite an aggravation because it is abridged. It 
has just enough to make you want the rest. The 
same is true of the concordances in the Bibles. A 
complete concordance, such as Cruden's or Young's 
Analytical, will be found a source of constant pleas- 
ure as well as help, while a complete text book is 
equally beneficial. The text book treats the Bible 
by reference to subjects, and will be useful in find- 
ing what the Bible has to say on themes. The 
concordance refers you to words. They are con- 
trivances to find out what is in the Bible; to find 
out what it says. It will be very convenient in 
using the Bible to become go familiar with your 
book that you can use it, and turn readily to all 
important passages without the references. But in 
the first study, or in an exhaustive study of any 
subject, they will be indispensable. 



28 HO IV TO UNDERSTAND 

3. In studying to know what the text means, 
you will need a Bible Dictionary. Of course you 
will constantly have occasion to refer to the English 
dictionary to get at the primary meaning of many 
words, which may better be understood in that way, 
but in studying antiquities, topics of all kinds, 
customs, cities, religions of other nations, etc., etc., 
a Bible Dictionary will be of great value. Neither 
a secular dictionary nor an encyclopedia will be of 
the same value, as it will treat of phases of subjects 
on which they will be silent, owing to its peculiar 
relation to the Bible and its teachings. Here we 
get the results of the best scholarship, in a most 
convenient form for reference and study. 

4. Commentary. — The commentary is not to 
study, but to help you to study the Bible. Study 
the Word, and when you need help on a dark pas- 
sage or have exhausted your own resources and 
want to see what others have found in a passage, 
look at your commentar3^ You will need a com- 
mentary to give you the best reading of a passage, 
if there is more than one, and to give the meaning 
of the original if the English is obscure or inade- 
quate. It will give you light on manners and cus- 
toms when needed as interpreters; light from par- 
allel passages, and will point out the connection 
with the context. It will also indicate the spiritual 
purpose of the writers, and call attention to the 
needs of those to whom he wrote. The best sug- 
gestive thoughts of the great thinkers will also be 
given, and in some, selections from the writings of 
the great men of the past. It is the very folly of 



AND USE THE BIBLE 29 

self-conceit to refuse to use a commentary, to con- 
sult the best thinkers of the ages. 

5. Blank Book. — To keep the results of your 
study and for reviewing, you will need a blank 
book — one in which you will be ready to put all 
sorts of things; not too good to write suggestions 
which come to you in crude shape. When these 
suggestions assume a finished and permanent shape, 
it may be well to transfer them to blank leaves of 
youi Bible. An interleaved Bible is of value for 
this. A small note book for pocket use to jot down 
things, and a better and larger one to serve as a 
ledger are recommended by some. It is also sug- 
gested that if you mark your Bible much, it is well 
to have one with clean pages, not marked, to 
express God's thoughts to us, and one to serv^e as a 
day book to record our own thoughts. 

6. Time. — It is absolutely necessary to have 
time in which to study. Some hour, a specified 
amount of time each day, when we can give our 
immediate attention to our work, is best. Even if 
this be but half an hour a day, we w^ill be sur- 
prised how much is accomplished. The tortoise 
still beats the hare in the race, and he w^ho gives a 
few minutes each day to the study of the Word, 
will accomplish more than he who occasionally 
studies a great deal. 

Given such an object, such a spirit and such helps 
for study, and w^e may wxU let each man use his 
own methods. Still, that we may profit by the ex- 
perience of others, we will treat the subject in an- 
other chapter. 



30 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 



CHAPTER V. 
How to Study the Bible 

METHODS. 

THE possible ways of Bible study are as diverse 
as human minds. What suits one man will 
not suit another. Bach man should use his own 
methods. One man who is systematic, will study 
-with regularity; he who is moody, according to his 
moods; he who is analytical will collect and compare 
texts; another will read history and biography, 
while still another will enjoy the poetry and 
imagery of the book. "Let each bee go where he 
gets honey.'* 

It is well, however, for each not to confine him- 
self to one method, as the other methods will often 
bring him heretofore undiscovered treasure, while 
the drill in itself will be helpful in keeping the 
student from becoming narrow and one-sided. We 
insist that in our study we stick to one method in 
the study of a subject, and not change from one to 
another so often that you lose the good results of 
each. It is only by doing thorough work that we 
can hope to succeed. It does not matter so much 
about the method, if the work is thoroughly done. 
The best method will be a failure if we depend 
upon the method to do our work, or if we quit be- 
fore the work is thoroughly done. Among the 
many methods, I recommend that you 



AND USE THE BIBLE 31 

1. Read the Bible. — Read it as a whole. Read it 
by books. Take up the Gospel of Mark and read 
it at one sitting. Read the beautiful stories of Ruth 
and Esther as you would read some such story in 
another book. Follow the fortunes of Daniel as 
you do those of ' 'Robinson Crusoe. ' ' Study the cam- 
paign of Paul against the heathenism of Europe as 
you study the campaigns of Csesar and Napoleon. 
Look into the laws of Moses as you would those of 
Lycurgus. Revel in the imagery of Job and the 
beauties of the Psalms as you do in "Paradise Lost'* 
and "Idyls of the King." Read\h!t Bible. Read 
and re-read until its history and its teachings, its 
poetry and its people are perfectly familiar to you. 
Then pick up the book and linger over its choice 
passages until they become a part of your very 
being. Be like the happy man of the first Psalm, 
* 'Meditate night and day." Become saturated 
with the Bible, so that you are as a sponge — if you 
are squeezed ever so little, the truth will ooze out 
of you. Or, as Jesus expressed it, you will be as a 
living well from which rivers of water will contin- 
ually flow. 

2. Memorize. — Not only read it until its truths 
and teachings are familiar, but memorize the very 
words of the Book. Daniel Webster could at one 
time repeat the book of Job, most of the Psalms 
and many other choice passages. It laid the foun- 
dation for his oratory. Be able to say to the 
tempter, "It is written." Become rooted and 
grounded in the truth, so its very words will come 



32 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

at your call, for your own consolation or the com- 
fort of others. 

Memorize something every day, if it is only a 
verse. It may seem but a little thing, but 365 
promises in a year make a bundle of wealth. A 
* 'pillow verse" will make our sleep sweeter and our 
rising brighter. 

*'The Bible should be with us in the dark and 
when our eyes are closed. When we cannot read, 
when we cannot hear, when from sickness or the 
approach of death we are too weak to think, then, 
unbidden and unsought, promises and consolations 
from God's word should come floating into the 
darkened chamber of thought, and, like angels of 
light they should minister to the sick and dying. 
They will not come then unless we entertain them 
now. We must invite them until they are wonted 
with us and at home; then they will not fail to min- 
ister to us when our hand forgets its cunning and 
the tongue cleaves to the roof of our mouth." — 
Henry S. De Forrest. 

Biographical. — Among the earliest ways of teach- 
ing is to tell a story with a moral. The child 
early learns to appreciate the truths thus taught, 
and remembers it as associated with the characters. 
It is thus God has presented most of his truth, and 
has made the fullest manifestation of himself, of 
his character and his purposes, in the life of his 
Son. To study the biographies of the Bible is,' 
therefore, to study nearly all of it, and as the Bible 
is adapted to man, it is not strange that this is a 



AND USE THE BIBLE 33 

very popular way. The study of these lives inter- 
ests nearly all, from youngest to oldest. 

Take up the life of Joseph and trace it from his 
birth, by the favorite wife, until its close, with his 
friends and relatives around him, and the children, 
as well as the more mature, will delight in it. 
Such a study may be used as a sort of serial, and 
a little at a time read at family worship. Explana- 
tions may be offered by the reader for the benefit of 
the younger, questions asked and answered, and the 
lessons enforced. Even those four or five years old 
will remember the story, will talk about it, and 
very likely incorporate it in their play. As sub- 
jects for young people's societies, these biographies 
cannot be surpassed, and for special sermons are 
interesting and inspiring. Besides tracing the de- 
velopment of the character under the influences 
surrounding it as portrayed in the Bible, the side 
lights from books concerning the Orient, as well as 
reading such books as Geikie's ^'Hour's With the 
Bible," or Farrar's "Life of Paul" cannot but 
prove beneficial. 

In stud3dng the life of Christ, it will be interest- 
ing to read a Gospel through at one sitting, to 
divide it into periods and study the events of each 
period, or take some phase of that life and trace it 
through the events as they occur. Read such helps 
as will give a proper understanding of the times, 
customs, surroundings, peoples, sects and parties, 
etc. , etc. Get a proper understanding of the set- 
ting of the picture, and then you can better under- 
3 



34 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

stand the picture. It will be interesting to note, 
too, the growth of men under the influence of the 
truth, as in the case of Jacob the supplanter, to 
Israel the godly. If we look at the Bible in a broad 
sense, we will find that it is but a biography of 
Jesus. In the first part it tells of his preparation, of 
his home, the world, the beginning of his family, 
and the promises of his coming. Through the rest 
of the book we trace, as the dominant note, the 
history of his family, until he is crucified, and 
these facts are the theme of the apostles and the 
power to win men to God. The book closes with 
prophecies of his triumphs and invitations to all to 
come to him. 

Topical. — Another way to study is to take a topic 
and find out all about it. Mr. Moody tells how he 
studied about ''love" for a month, and became so 
he could not help loving people; fed on love until 
anxious to do good to everybody. Take assurance 
for a topic. A great many can only say, "I hope" 
and "I think," but all through the Bible we find 
those who know. Study assurance for a few weeks, 
and standing on God's promises we ^dll be able to 
say we know. Take the keyword of a book and 
study the book from the point of view of this word. 
For instance, John wrote his Gospel that men 
might believe. Read it to see how strong are his 
proofs that Jesus is the Son of God, and it will be- 
come a new book. There is nothing like going to 
the Bible to look for something. If we are hunt- 
ing for something we are apt to find it, but if not, 



AND USE THE BIBLE 35 

it is only an accident if we do. Reading the Bible 
to "read it through" does little or no good. A 
good many people read the Bible with a mark to 
keep the place. It is a good deal like the boy who 
hoed the turnips and had a stick to ''keep the 
place," so he would know which were hoed and 
which were not. 

In the study of tof)ics, there is an endless variety 
of methods, yet the principle is the same in each. 
The object is always to see what the Bible teaches 
on the topic. The instruments needed are a Bible, 
text book and concordance, common sense and a 
note book. Suppose the topic is faith. Under the 
various headings, 1. What is faith? 2. How ob- 
tained. 3. How strengthened. 4. What accom- 
plished by it, etc., put down the texts as found. 
Proceed until all the phases of the subject are de- 
veloped, and from all these readings we may draw 
our conclusions. I underscore all, because less 
than all will give a partial view, and sometimes 
makes the truth into a lie. 

Another analysis on topical study is: The topic 
(1) defined in Scriiptnre, {2) proved in Scripture, 
(3) commented and insisted wpon, (4) illustrated , 
(5) Harmonized with other themes. 

When preachers go thus to the Bible, their ser- 
mons are more original, more striking, more 
authoritative, more potent in their direct, practical 
and spiritual appeal to the hearts and consciences 
of the hearers. In this way, too, the student may 
have the assurance that each of the conclusions at 



36 HO IV TO UNDERSTAND 

which he has arrived, is fortified by a ' 'Thus saitk 
the Lord." 

Inductive. — In the conduct of study by topics, we 
are apt to allow our prejudices to bias us in the 
selection of texts, and to get out of the study only 
that with which we began. The true way to study 
the topic is by the inductive method. This requires 
a more thorough research, for every part of evi- 
dence must be admitted and given its full weight, 
before a conclusion is to be drawn. In one case we 
take an opinion to the Bible to find confirmation 
for it. In the other, we study the Bible on the 
topic thoroughly, and allow the conclusion .to grow 
out of the study. In inductive study we take not 
only those passages which favor our view, but those 
which seem to be opposed. Suppose we are study- 
ing faith, and wish to show its importance and 
power. We have found that we are justified by 
faith, and that we conquer by faith, and that we 
please God by faith, and we are saved by faith, and 
are about to come to the conclusion that all that is 
necessary to do is to believe, when we read in 
James 2: 24, ''Ye see then how that by works a 
man is justified, and not by faith only." This 
brings a new element into the investigation, and we 
study on until we find that faith without works is 
dead; that while faith is of the utmost importance, 
and that we cannot be justified without it; that 
faith alone is of value which takes active form in 
obedience to God and in good works. This method 
is self-interpreting. The more we know, the more 



AND USE THE BIBLE, 3T 

power we have of knowing. **Ivight is seen in 
light,'* and every conclusion thus reached will help 
us to understand other things. When the induc- 
tive method of study was introduced into the study 
of science, a new era dawned. When it is adopted 
as your method of the study of the Bible, it will be- 
come a new book, richer a thousand fold, dispelling 
our ignorance and error and bringing in truth in 
its fullness and beauty. 

Individual Books. — It has been already suggested 
that in reading, a whole book be read at a sitting, 
and we insist that the study of the individual books 
as a whole, will yield results which cannot be ob- 
tained in any other way. If we would fully under- 
stand an author's words, we must take into consid- 
eration who the author is, the circumstances sur- 
rounding him, the object of his writing, and the 
condition of the people to whom he is writing. 
Then we must get the general drift of his argu- 
ment and see how a certain passage fits into it, be- 
fore we can understand the force of the passage. 

Many passages of Scripture can only be under- 
stood when we take them in connection with the 
argument of the book as a whole, or see them in 
the light of the circumstances. For instance, we 
read in the first Corinthian letter, fifteenth chapter, 
*'If in this life only we have hope, we are of all 
men most miserable. ' ' Applying that statement to 
present conditions, we cannot see how it is true, 
for even in this life to-day, the Christian has de- 
cidedly the best of it. But when we consider that 



HO IV TO UNDERSTAND 



it is Paul who speaks, and that for the hope of the 
life to come he had lost friends and wealth and 
position at Jerusalem, and there and elsewhere had 
been persecuted, having been "in stripes above 
measure, in prison frequent, in deaths oft: of the 
Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, 
thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have 
I been in the deep: in journeyings often, in perils 
of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own 
countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in 
the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the 
sea, in perils among false brethren: in weariness 
and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and 
thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness, ' ' we 
can understand the truth of the expression. 

Another instance is found in the oft-repeated 
words in Ecclesiastes, "Vanity of vanities, all is 
vanity. ' ' This is only true from the standpoint of 
the writer. He is arguing from his experience. He 
had made riches, knowledge, honor, etc., an end of 
life, each in its turn, and found that as such it was 
unsatisfying; that a life spent for such ends was in 
vain, and concludes with the assertion that the 
whole of man — that for which he was designed and 
in which he finds his real happiness, is in fearing 
God and keepihg his commandments. When this 
is the end of his life, all these other things, as 
helps and as gifts from God, become no longer 
vanities but ministers to his joy and good. 

Realizing the importance of this kind of study. 



AND USE THE BIBLE 39 

we should read the book through several times until 
we see the outline of it, and have gotten hold of 
the line of thought and the steps in the argument, 
or the main divisions of the book. We should not 
begrudge the time spent in reading in this way, 
over and over again, for it is time well spent. 
Ascertain the scope and bearing of the book. Get 
what information you can respecting the writer, the 
time and circumstances of its composition, the 
character of the reigning monarch, and special con- 
dition of the people primarily addressed; all such 
information as will make clear the teaching before 
us. It is best to get this from the Bible itself, when 
it can be done, as it often can. Acts of Apostles is 
such an introduction to the Epistles, and the Gos- 
pels such an introduction to Acts. 

Having thus become acquainted in a general way 
with the whole, ''shake every bough," chapter, 
paragraph, verse, clause. Begin with the first 
chapter, take section by section, verse by verse, 
word by word, searching out parallel texts in the 
Old and New Testaments, observing how the Bible 
in one part explains the Bible in another. 



40 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 



CHAPTER VI. 
Common Mistakes. 

1^ is not the purpose of this chapter to give an 
exhaustive treatment of the rules of interpre- 
tation, but to point out a few of the mistakes into 
which readers often, and students sometimes fall. 
By avoiding these errors and observing the sugges- 
tions made in the chapters on "How to Understand 
the Bible," the reader will not go far astray in his 
interpretations. 

1. It is a mistake to come in willful ignorance to 
the interpretation of the Bible. God wants our 
best thought to understand his best thought. 

2. It is a mistake to be wise above what is writ- 
ten. It is not only a mistake, but a presumptuous 
sin. If the Bible says, "By baptism ye are saved," 
it is the part of wisdom to accept the statement as 
true. 

3. It is a mistake, because we do not understand 
all the Bible says, to reject what we do under- 
stand. We do not stop eating bread because we 
cannot understand fully the process of its trans- 
formation into hair and hide, bone and blood. 

4. It is a mistake, because all truth is not re- 
vealed, to reject that which is. The secrets of life 
are not revealed, but that is no excuse for not keep- 
ing the weeds out of the corn-field. The truth re- 
vealed is designed for use. It is by no means cer- 



AND USE THE BIBLE 41 

tain that man in his present state could use the 
truth which is unrevealed, if he knew it. 

5. It is a mistake to interpret Scripture in a hap- 
hazard way, without rules, or as fancy or interest 
shall dictate; for it is subject, as history, to the 
rules of historic science; as literature, to the rules 
of grammar and rhetoric, and as a revelation, to the 
rules which govern the interpretation of a com- 
munication from one party to another. 

6. It is a mistake to give to the language of the 
Bible a meaning other than that which similar 
language would have under similar circumstances. 
In the Bible are poetry and prose, history and para- 
hle, plain statement and highly figurative language; 
and in all these the meaning is to be found by ob- 
serving the rules for interpreting similar language 
in other books. It is, therefore, a mistake for the 
Shakers to play with toys and children's games in 
order to enter the kingdom, instead of becoming 
like little children in spirit. I^uther quoted "This 
is my body,'* and insisted that the loaf of the 
Lord's Supper was really transubstantiated into the 
body of Christ. This "prosaic reading of a poetic 
saying" was a mistake, shown by the fact that 
when Jesus used the words, his body and the loaf 
were both present and in different forms of sub- 
stance. "The letter killeth, but the spirit maketh 
alive." 

7. It is just as great a mistake to read into plain 
prose statements of fact, mystical and mar\^elous 
meanings, turning the sober statements of Biblical 



42 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

prose writers into allegorical parables, symbols, 
types, and finding underneath the plainest mean- 
ings, a double, triple and quadruple sense. B. g. , 
Jesus, in teaching his disciples to care for them- 
selves, says, *'He that hath no sword, let him sell 
his garment and buy one." Peter says, "Here are 
two. ' ' Jesus says, ' 'That is enough. ' ' This is read 
into authority for the temporal power of Rome over 
the nations, in spite of the fact that Jesus forbade 
Peter from using the sword for his defense, within 
the same hour. As another illustration, the works 
of Swedenborg may be mentioned. This is the 
most marked feature of them. In his "Arcana 
Coelesta, " ten goodly volumes, he interprets Script- 
ure history after this style: "And Rebecca arose" 
— hereby is signified the elevation of the affection 
of truth; "and her damsels" — hereby are signified 
subsequent affections; "and they rode upon camels" 
— hereby is signified the intellectual principles ele- 
vated above natural scientifics." The fantastic 
dream of mystical meanings in the Bible must take 
wings at the touch of a ripening literary judgment. 
When there is figure or fancy, the language is to be 
so interpreted; if there is not, it is to be understood 
in the ordinary sense, and in every case in the 
sense the writer intended. 

8. It is a mistake to use the Bible as an oracle — 
to open it at random and to take the message as 
the one God has for you at the time and on the 
occasion. This is nothing more or less than a lot- 
tery. Besides, no passage in the Bible was written 



AND USE THE BIBLE 43 

centuries ago in regard to your private affairs. Yet 
this mistake has been made by thousands of peo- 
ple. Kven preachers, after prayer for guidance, 
have opened their Bibles at random and preached 
from the passage which first met their eye. The 
absurdity of such a process may be seen by the fact 
that one preacher opened and read the words, * 'Am 
not I thine ass. ' ' There is but one solution of this 
incident, and that is in the supposition that in 
him was this saying fulfilled. 

9. It is a mistake to assign to faith different 
names because the object is different at different 
times. Faith is always faith — a belief and trust in 
or about, though the object of the faith may vary. 

10. It is a mistake to push the interpretation of 
a parable too far. The parables of the Bible were 
told to illustrate certain special points, and while 
the drapery was true, it is not to be supposed that 
every point mentioned had some special signifi- 
cance. It is quite enough to find the central truth 
and to adapt and apply it, and not seek for hidden 
meanings in all the details. 

11. It is a mistake to give a word more than one 
meaning in one place. The same word may, and 
often does, have different meanings in different 
connections, but can only have one in a given posi- 
tion, and that is the one the writer intended it to 
have. What this is, is to be determined by the 
context and the use of the word. 

12. It is a mistake to give to a word a meaning 
which will not fit into the sentence as well as the 



44 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

word itself. When the meaning substituted for the 
word will not fit and make good sense, then an- 
other meaning must be the true one. 

13. It is a mistake not to take notice of the em- 
phatic way of expressing thought used by the 
Bible writers, and treat the passages as such. Paul 
says, "I was sent to preach and not to baptize." 
This is a way of emphasizing his work as a preach- 
er, for that he did baptize when occasion demanded 
is clearly shown in the next few verses. 

14. It is a mistake to suppose the Bible is not to 
be understood, or to look upon it as a mass of 
superstition and mysticism. It is a revelation, and 
its purpose is to reveal truth. This end can only 
be accomplished when the Book is understood. 

15. It is a mistake to disregard the circumstances 
Tinder which certain things were spoken. It was 
the downcast and doubting Peter who swore he 
never knew Jesus, but the Spirit-filled and Spirit- 
guided Peter who announced the terms of salvation 
on Pentecost. 

16. It is a mistake to suppose that because two 
accounts differ in detail, they are necessarily contra- 
dictory. In law, when two witnesses agree in every 
detail, there is strong suspicion of collusion. On 
the other hand, when they agree in the essential 
facts, and differ in detail, as they see the event 
from different points of view, their testimony is 
counted to be of the strongest kind. 

17. It is a mistake to suppose that because an 
author does not state a fact, he must be ignorant of 



AND USE THE BIBLE 45 

it. Bach author selects the material he uses in 
accordance with the purpose of his book and the 
condition of the persons addressed. Thus the same 
author, writing to different persons on the same 
subject, would use different arguments and illus- 
trate the same arguments by different facts. John 
says, "Many other signs truly did Jesus . . which 
are not written in this book, but these are written 
that we might believe. ' ' 

18. It is a mistake to apply a statement of Script- 
ure to other conditions than those to which the 
author applies it, and hold that it is authorized in 
such a case by the Bible. The author of Kccle- 
siastes uses the expression, * 'Vanity of vanities, all 
is vanity. ' ' A study of the whole book will show 
that he applies it to pleasure, wealth, wisdom, etc. . 
as ends of life. As means to the true end of life, to 
fear God and keep his commandments, they are no 
longer vanity, but valuable aids in man's upbuild- 
ing and God's glory. 

19. It is a mistake to make up your theology 
from proof -texts, gathered up from all parts of the 
Bible without regard to whether the words used in 
their proper connection are history, poetry, hyper- 
bole, or what not. Sometimes "a text which seems 
to teach one point, is torn from its context, without 
regard to who said it, to whom it was said, for what 
purpose or under what circumstances; whether his- 
torical, practical or highly figurative, and set side 
by side as co-equal proofs of our dogmas. Words 
of Solomon, David, Isaiah, Paul; deeply penitent, 



46 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

pessimistic, exulting or triumphant; fact, hyper- 
bole, metaphor, are all jumbled together in a very 
'Midsummer Night ' s Dream ' fashion . " 

20. It is a mistake to assume that which is not 
stated in a text to be true, in order to uphold our 
position. One man has as much right to assume 
that in I^ydia's household there were three pairs of 
twins as that there were infants at all. The text 
being silent on the subject, it is wrong to assume. 

21. It is a mistake to disregard the context. 
This is a most common mistake. Men in making 
up the proofs, take passages out of their connection, 
and make them mean exactly opposite to what the 
writer intended. Cases are on record in which 
clauses, or phrases, or parts of words have been 
torn from their connection and used to bolster up a 
theory. Such is the famous case of the old preach- 
er, who, in berating the sisters for their worldliness, 
especially in the matter of wearing top-nots, found 
in the sentence, ''Let him who is upon the house- 
top not come down (into the house), but flee to the 
mountains,'* the proof -text, ''Top not come 
down.'* 

22. It is a mistake to draw conclusions from less 
than all the truth upon a given subject. Ian 
Maclaren illustrates this by the following incident: 
Four blind men went to see an elephant. One saw 
with the sense of feeling in his hand, the elephant's 
leg; the second, his side; the third, his snout, and 
the fourth, his ear. Each man, perfectly honest, 
logical and sincere, made up his estimate of the 



AND USE THE BIBLE 47 

elephant from the part \i^ saw^ with the following 
startling results. The first said the elephant is like 
the trunk of a tree; the second concluded it was 
like the side of a house; the third was sure it was 
like a rope, and the fourth was positive it resem- 
bled nothing so much as a leathern bag. Had each 
of them seen all the elephant, they would not only 
have been able to give a correct statement of what 
an elephant was like, but they would have all 
spoken the same thing. 

23. It is a mistake to add words to the state- 
ments of the Scripture to make out our theories. 
The statement of the Scripture is, "We are justified 
by faith." It is a mistake to add "only" to it and 
make it read "justified by faith only." This would 
be a mistake even if James did not say, "We are 
justified by works and not by faith only' ' ( Jas. 2 :24) . 

24. It is a mistake to manufacture one uniform 
system of theology as the fixed and final form of 
thought in which religion is to live. The under- 
standing of the Bible, as the understanding of the 
world, grows. New light is constantly streaming 
in. The best scientific knowledge of Paris, one 
hundred years ago, gave thirty reasons why the ac- 
count given in Genesis of the creation could not be 
true. To-day every one of the positions has been 
abandoned. Books twenty years old on scientific 
subjects, are obsolete. To say that the world one 
hundred years ago, or to-day, knew or knows all 
there is to be known, either of God's world or 
word, is the height of presumption. The theology 



48 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

of Calvin and Ivuther was the best men knew at 
that day, but it is not to be accepted as the creed of 
the church forevermore. It is a mistake to bind 
upon the church the errors and ignorance of the 
past, whether that past is twenty years or twenty 
centuries ago. Yet this is what creeds, confessions 
of faith and discipUnes, accepted as authoritative 
statements of truth, do. 

25. It is a mistake not to modify general state- 
ments by specific statements, made in the same 
place or in another place in the Bible. In teaching 
about prayer, w^e have the general statement, ' 'Ask 
and we shall receive. ' ' This is modified, however, 
by the statement that we do not receive when we 
ask in order to consume it upon our lusts. 

26. It is a mistake not to notice who speaks^ 
when we read a passage in the Scripture. First, in 
regard to the whole book, who wrote it, is a ques- 
tion the answer of which will throw much light 
upon what is said. And in the book, numerous 
quotations are made, and in each case the one 
quoted from will have much to do with the reliabil- 
ity of the statement. It is in the Bible, there is no 
God, but a fool is authority for the statement; and 
**Stolen waters are sweet," but these are the senti- 
ments of a harlot. Looking through the Bible we 
find quotations from the devil, witches, fools, 
wicked men, men with good intentions but mis- 
taken, men giving their opinions and men speaking 
or directed by the Holy Ghost, prophets, priests, 
angels, Christ and God, all speaking at diiferent 



AND USE THE BIBLE, 49 

times and under different circumstances. It would 
be manifestly wrong to place all of these upon an 
equal footing, nay, wrong to receive some of their 
statements as true at all. The Bible is true in that 
it says the devil said so and so, but at the same time 
the devil lied about it. We must accept the words 
of God and his authorized messengers to men as 
true; the opinions of good men we are to take as 
such; in the words of bad men we may expect error 
and deceit, while the words of the devil and his 
angels are most certainly false. 

27. It is a mistake to disregard to whom the 
words of the Bible were spoken, and apply them 
all, indiscriminately to ourselves. It is manifestly 
a mistake to apply the words spoken to the re- 
deemed, ''Come, ye blessed of my father," to the 
wicked, or the w^ords addressed to the wicked, 
* 'Depart, ye cursed," to the redeemed. Those 
books addressed to Christian disciples can only be 
applied to sinners, as we discriminate between the 
classes of saint and sinner, while the commands 
given for alien sinners are among the first princi- 
ples which the fellow-citizens wdth the saints are to 
leave behind and go on to perfection. It seems 
simple enough that the true way is to apply the 
words spoken to and of the devil to devils, of 
angels to angels, of wicked men to wicked men, of 
sinners to sinners, of Christians to Christians; and 
yet, as simple as this may seem, there is no more 
common mistake than the indiscriminate applica- 
tion of the words of Scripture to any and all sorts 



50 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

of people. In this same connection might be men- 
tioned the mistake of failing to discriminate be- 
tween the Dispensations, Patriarchal, Jewish and 
Christian. Among the consequences of this error 
is the effort constantly made to induce Christians 
to forsake the first day of the week, in which we 
observe the Lord's day, and return to the Jewish 
Sabbath, or Saturday, the seventh day of the week. 
28. It is a mistake not to take note of when the 
words of Scripture were spoken. Words spoken 
by the same person and to the same person under 
different circumstances may be quite different, and 
may be exactly opposite. Moses, standing before 
the children of Israel on the bank of the Red Sea, 
said, ''Standstill!" Soon afterwards he gave the 
opposite order, "Go forward!" But the circum- 
stances had changed. Under the Patriarchal dis- 
pensation God made the father of the tribe his 
priest, and had him offer sacrifices for himself and 
family. Under the Jewish dispensation, God said 
to his people that only the members of the tribe of 
Levi and the house of Aaron should offer the sacri- 
fices, and under the Christian dispensation, Jesus, 
our great high-priest, has made his offering once 
for all, while every Christian is a priest, who is to 
offer up praise unto God. In no place, perhaps, is 
the need of observing "when spoken" more fully 
illustrated than in the Bible direction to sinners. 
To those who knew not Christ, the apostles and 
evangelists "preached unto them Jesus;" when 
they had heard, faith was demanded; when they 



AND USE THE BIBLE 51 

"had heard and believed, they were called upon to 
repent; when, having heard and believed and re- 
pented, they said, *'And now why tarriest thou? 
Ajise and be baptized." Having thus become 
babes in Christ, they were to feed on the sincere 
milk of the Word, and to be faithful unto death. 
The element of time and consequent change of 
circumstances accounts for the different answers to 
the same question, and this must be noted to under- 
stand the replies. 

29. It is a common mistake to be so careless in 
reading our Bibles that we do not note carefully 
what is said. Because of this mistake, we often 
read into the text what is not there, and thus by 
adding to the Scripture make the truth into a lie. 
For instance, Paul says we are justified by faith. 
Our lack of attention to what is said, and our high 
appreciation of faith, make us to say we are justi- 
fied by faith only, thus turning a truth into a lie, 
for James says we are justified by works, and not 
by faith only. 

Another equally serious error is not to observe 
all which is said, and so leave out or disregard a 
part of what is taught. Thus, while it is necessary 
for us to recognize that God saved men, it would be 
disastrous for us not to note God's commands to 
men to believe his Word, repent of their sins, and 
obey him in all things. 

The observance of these last four suggestions, to 
note who speaks^ to whom spoken^ when spoken and 
what spoken, would obviate most of the errors into 
which the students of Scripture now fall. 



52 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 



CHAPTER VII. 
How to Mark the Bible. 

THKRE^ is a prejudice in the minds of some peo- 
ple against marking their Bibles. Yet these 
same people use without scruple the references in 
the margins, and the headings at the beginnings of 
the chapters and top of the pages, not realizing 
that these are but markings — printed, it is true — but 
markings just as much as that done with pen or 
pencil. Those who realize that the Bible was not 
given to us to worship, but to understand and use, 
and have experienced the help which comes from a 
well marked book, would not think of dispensing 
with so valuable an aid. 

There are many ways of marking a Bible, some 
quite elaborate with fancy colored inks, and a 
whole system of signs, and some ways more simple 
and practical. I prefer the simpler, with the one, 
or possibly two colors of ink, because it will be 
used, while the other is apt to be a fad and soon 
play out. Kvery person has his own or some other 
man's system modified to suit his purposes, and in 
this chapter I will point out some ways of marking 
which have proved helpful to me, and which I can 
recommend to the reader. 

1. Mark to bring out Topics, underscoring a 
few words which will serve as the subject of the 
section. As in Matthew sixth, I marked in the 



AND USE THE BIBLE 53 

first verse, alms; in the fifth verse, pray; in the 
fourteenth verse, forgive; in the sixteenth verse, 
fast; in the nineteenth verse, treasures; in the twen- 
ty-second verse, light; in the twenty-fourth verse^ 
two masters; in the twenty-fifth verse, take no 
thought. At a glance I can thus find the topic I 
wish. 

2. Write at top of page or in margin, additional 
words indicating the topic treated. For Matthew 
6 write * 'Lord's Prayer." 

3. Mark at the commencement of the chapter 
the "key word" to the chapter. For Hebrews 11 
write, "Hymn of Faith;" for 1 Corinthians 13, 
"Hymn of Love;" 1 Corinthians 15, "Resurrec- 
tion ; ' ' Matthew 5 , * 'Magna Charta of our Faith. ' ' 

4. When an outline has been made of the con- 
tents of a book, and it has been di\nded into parts, 
sections and paragraphs, the same may be marked 
in the margin. A convenient way to separate para- 
graphs is by a mark like this > after the verse 
which closes one paragraph and before the verse 
which commences another. 

5. Underscore wn.th a light line striking expres- 
sions and special passages. 

6. Set apart with a brace verses or passages to 
be memorized. 

7. In the margin write the translation of the 
Revised Version, or any translation that ^ill add to 
clearness of passage, e. g., from "Take no thought" 
(Matt. 6:25), draw light line diagonally to the 
margin and write, "Be not anxious." 



54 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

8. In the margin write reference to books which 
treat on the subject. B. g., opposite Matt. 6:33, 
*'Seek first," etc., write *'Drumniond's First," 
which directs you to Prof. Henry Drummond's 
splendid lecture to boys, called "First." 

9. Write in the margin reference to passage 
which develops the subject referred to in the text. 
B. g., Matt. 6: 9, irom heaven draw diagonal light 
line to margin and write Rev. 21. V'rora forgive in 
verse 14, draw to margin and write Matt. 5: 23; 18: 
15, both of which develop the same subject. 

10. In the margin write words of others, or of 
your own , which illustrate or enforce the teachings 
of the text. B. g., opposite "Ye can not serve 
God and mammon," write, "When you desert 
Satan's camp strike out for Jesus, or you will be 
recaptured." 

11. In the margin write outline from the text. 
B. g., opposite "Watch ye therefore," etc., put 

Words. 
Actions. 
Thoughts. 
Company. 
Hearts. 
Opposite "Bxcept a man be born of water and the 
spirit," etc., write 

TBody. Water. Baptism. 
■^^^ I Spirit. Spirit. My words are spirit. 

12. In margin write peculiar meaning of a word 
as used in the text. E. g., opposite Matt. 6: 21, 



AND USE THE BIBLE 55 

heart=sensibility; opposite Ivuke5:22, heart=in- 
tellect. 

13. In the margin write references to those pas- 
sages which develop the subject. Opposite "Saved" 
write the reference which tells who saves, who may 
be saved, and by what means they are to be saved. 

14. In the text by the use of figures you can 
indicate the outline of a textual sermon. B. g., 
''Let your light so shine," write, (3) Let (2) your 
(1) light (5) so (4) shine. So you may develop it 
in a sermon which brings out the thought of lyight 
and its importance to the world; that each one has 
light, that we should be willing to let it shine, for 
it will do so if we give it a chance; that shine means 
to beam vrith a steady radiance, vs. to flicker or 
smoke, and close with the admonition to let your 
light so shine that others may see your good works 
and glorify your Father who is in heaven. This 
division having been once used and thus indicated 
will always be ready for use, and will in itself bring 
back nearly the whole of the sermon. 

15. There is a system of marking called railroad- 
ing, which connects two underscored passages vdth 
hair lines. This is often of great value; a few ex- 
amples will best show its use. Above John V, I 
have written, "Testimony for Jesus." In verse 31 
"I bear witness of myself," is underscored and 
connected with "John, and he bare witness," in 
verse 33, which is connected with "The works" in 
verse 36, connected mth "the Father himself " in 
verse 37, connected with "the Scriptures" in verse 



56 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

39, connected with * 'Moses" in verse 46. As we 
read, we find that all these bear testimony for Jesus. 
In John 11: 11, ''Our friend Lazarus sleepeth," is 
connected with "Lazarus is dead" in verse 14, show- 
ing how Jesus views death. In John 6: 44, "No 
man can come to me, except the Father v/hich hath 
sent me draw him," is connected with and ex- 
plained by the words in verse 45, "Every man 
therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the 
Father, cometh unto me." 

In Colossians 2, "In him" and "With him" are 
developed, and by the railroad we find those who 
have received Christ Jesus the Lord, ' 'walk ye in 
him," verse 6, are "rooted and built up in him," 
verse 7, are "complete in him," verse 10, buried 
with him in baptism, also ye are risen with 
him, verse 12, are " quickened together with 
him," verse 13, and are dead with him from 
the elements of the world. Continuing into the 
third chapter we find if we are risen with him, 
verse 1, your life is hid with Christ in God, 
verse 3, and that we shall also appear with him 
in glory, verse 4. 

In this same chapter the things we are to put off 
and those we are \,o put on are thrown into contrast 
by the "railroad." In II. Timothy, the admonition 
to be "a good soldier" in 2: 3, is connected by the 
railroad with Paul's own example audits results, as 
recorded in 4: 7, 8. 

In the Galatian letter "the works of the flesh" 
and the "fruit of the Spirit" are contrasted in the 



AND USE THE BIBLE 57 

same way. In the first Corinthian letter, Paul's 
advice as to how to conduct religious services is 
brought together by connecting 14: 40, *'Let all 
things be done decently and in order," \\T.th 14: 26, 
* 'Let all things be done unto edifying," and writ- 
ing in the margin a reference to 10: 31, ''Let all 
things be done unto the glory of God. ' ' 

Another example of this method must suffice. 
Turning to Matthew 19: 13, we find the well known 
passage about Jesus receiving little children. By 
underscoring, we bring out the object for which the 
children were brought, "that he should put his 
hands on them and pray, " and again, what Jesus 
actually did to them, "he laid his hands on fchem." 
Again, we bring out that the kingdom of heaven is 
not composed of children, but "of such" — of peo- 
ple who are like them, and last, that the children 
themselves are not forbidden, but in\dted to come 
unto Jesus. Happy is the man in his theology who 
is not wise above what is written. 

Those who have interleaved Bibles may place in 
them not only outlines, but whole passages which 
throw light upon the text, or which may be help- 
ful to the student or useful in teaching or preach- 
ing. Mr. Moody's motto in regard to marking your 
Bible is, "If you hear a good thing, put it down, 
for if it is good for you, it will be good for others." 
So copious are his notes, that he has published a 
book of considerable size from them, giving them ' 
as they appear in the margin of his book. A writer 
in the Sunday-school Times tells how in his study 



58 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

he has used the plan of marking, until he now has 
^N^ Bibles instead of one. The first he calls * * A 
Study'Bible. ' * It is now bound in two volumes, and 
interleaved and fully marked. * 'Stories, comments, 
poetry, outlines of talks, analyses of lessons and 
illustrations of all sorts, go into this Bible, and 
when I want any such helps in the future, I look 
in this Bible for them. . . . As a result I have 
a growing Bible, a Bible becoming day by day 
richer and more valuable, and I have the results of 
my precious study put away and labeled." A sec- 
ond Bible is for literary study. This is bound in 
four volumes, interleaved. As to its use, he says: 
**In making a study of the life of Christ, in con- 
nection with the International I^essons a year or so 
ago, I used this book. The date and place of each 
event as we came to it, were written at the top of 
the page, the subject of each paragraph was writ- 
ten on the margin opposite the text, and any com- 
ment that was not suitable for the study Bible was 
put on the blank pages; such, for instance, were 
the charts which appeared, showing how the last 
day of Christ's life on earth was spent. Week by 
week, a little at a time, the valuable results of a 
year's work were accumulated and preserved where 
they can be found again." A third copy is his 
* 'Missionary Bible. " On the blank pages in front 
are inspiring sayings of great missionaries, as ''The 
prospect is as bright as the promises of God." — 
Carey. The blank pages in the back with mission- 
ary charts, and the markings have reference to the 



AND USE THE BIBLE 59 

one great subject. The fourth copy is a clean, un- 
marked copy, in which he lets God speak to him, 
while his fifth is a small Bible for the pocket. He 
closes his article by saying: "I would not be un- 
derstood to say that all these Bibles are necessary, 
but I have learned by experience that they are all 
useful, and in these days of rush and hurry I have 
found them to be time-savers. ' ' 

Mark your Bibles — not just to be marking them, 
but that you may know what is in them, that you 
may understand them, and that you may be able to 
use them. 



60 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

» CHAPTER VIII. 
How to Use the Bible. 

FOR SEI.F. 

HAVING a Bible, studying it, understanding it, 
marking it, interpreting it, are all prepara- 
tions for using it, and without the practical use of 
it, all our preparation will be wasted. The purpose 
in producing the Bible was not that it should be 
worshiped, but that it should be used. It is the 
tool which God has placed in our hand. It is the 
sword of the Spirit delivered into the hands of every- 
one of God's soldiers, to be used in both offensive 
and defensive warfare. It is the lamp which is to 
be used in lighting up our pathway. The work- 
man is not only to know his tool, but to use it. 
The Christian workman who needeth not be 
ashamed is to be skilled in using this tool in form- 
ing Christian character, both within himself and 
others. 

The efficient soldier will not only know how his 
weapon is made, the principles of its construction, 
and the theory of its use, but he must be able, by 
actual practice, to make it both his sword and 
shield. Indeed, he may be ignorant of all else but 
how to use his sword and still be efficient, and he 
may know all but this and be inefficient. Jesus 
sets us an example in the use of the Bible in his 
encounter with the devil in the wilderness, in 



AND USE THE BIBLE. 61 

which by "It is written," he not only defends him- 
self , but also puts to rout his adversary. 

It is of first importance that we use the Bible for 
ourselves, our own growth and development, our 
own information and inspiration, our own purifica- 
tion and preparation for life's work. It is only 
when we have taken the beam out of our own eye 
that we can see clearly to remove the mote from 
our brother's eye. It is only when we have had 
experience in the use of the Bible for helping our- 
selves, that we can successfully use it for helping 
others. 

Therefore in the study of a passage of Scripture, 
it is essential that I not only learn of the places, 
persons and precepts of the text, but that the 
truths of the passage be so applied to my own 
thought, purposes and actions, that my errors be 
corrected, my faith strengthened, and my charac- 
ter perfected. *'\Vhat is in this passage for me?" 
should be the ever-recurring question. And no 
study of a passage is complete until that question 
is answered, and the truth thus learned is built into 
our lives. 

There are uses to which the Bible is put at times 
which are wicked and sinful; other uses are un- 
profitable and vain; others, right and profitable. 
It is a profitable use at which we should constantly 
aim. To make our study most profitable it is 
essential that we should study with definite ends in 
view. A summary of the profitable uses to which 
Scripture may be put is given in 2 Tim. 3: 16, 17, 



62 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

by the Apostle Paul to his son in the Gospel, Timo- 
thy. He says, *'A11 Scripture is given by inspira- 
tion of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for re- 
proof, for correction, for instruction in righteous- 
ness, that the man of God may be perfect, thor- 
oughly furnished unto every good work. ' * In thus 
using the Bible we will find it of great profit. 

For Doctrine. — Do I get my doctrine from the 
Bible? Where did I get my conceptions of God 
and the Holy Spirit and the Christ? My ideas of 
right and wrong, of the duties I owe to God and 
man, of the privileges which are rightly mine, of 
the proper constitution of the state, and the rela- 
tions of man to man in society and the family? 
How many of us are wearing the cast-off intellect- 
ual clothing of our ancestors! How many of us 
have never learned to take our questions of doc- 
trine to the fountain-head for solution! Yet the 
doctrine of the Scriptures on all these subjects is 
profitable, and not only the experience of individu- 
als, but of nations, has proved it so in all ages. So 
long as God's wisdom is greater than man's wisdom 
will it be so. The teaching or doctrine which we 
believe, which we practice and which we teach 
others, should be obtained from the Bible. It will 
be found profitable 

I. For My Own Right Thinking. However great 
other books may be, however wise our teachers and 
companions, none of them are equal to the Bible in 
their authority. All human confessions of faith, 
disciplines and creeds are liable to err. All human 



AND USE THE BIBLE 63 

conceptions of God and his relation to man are 
mixed with superstition. All wisdom of men is 
foolishness compared to the wisdom of God. Only 
as the thoughts of the world are made to conform 
to the thoughts of God will they be found free 
from error and to set forth the whole truth. 

2. For My Growth in Grace. Doctrine and 
deeds are very closely related. ''What I do" de- 
pends upon "what I think." lean only become 
Christlike by knowing Christ's doctrine and doing 
it. Only when I think his thoughts, when I see 
things as he sees them, will I — nay, can I — feel as 
he feels, do as he does, be as he is. And as I make 
his doctrine my doctrine, will I make his deeds my 
deeds. 

J. For Use in Evangelism. The doctrines of 
the Bible, not the speculations of men, are power- 
ful in battering down the strongholds of sin and 
letting the gospel light into the darkened hearts of 
men. The gospel is the power of God unto salva- 
tion. The Bible has ever been the weapon of the 
great reformer and evangelists, both in fighting 
sin and winning souls to the Saviour. The minis- 
try, educated or uneducated, which preaches the 
Word, is the ministry which saves souls. 

4. For Use in Controversy. **Thus saith the 
Lord" will batter down the finest and most stupend- 
ous structure human reason and ingenuity can con- 
struct. Versed in the Scriptures, the man of infe- 
rior education and intellectual endowments is 
always more than a match for his opponent not so 



64 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

versed, it matters not how well educated in other 
matters. The man of God who gets his doctrine 
from the Bible, can successfully rout his opponent, 
be he theologian, skeptic, infidel or Satan himself. 

5. Eor Our Inspiration. Read how God has 
crowned man with glory and honor; how he accepts 
him as his son; how he honors him as his co-work- 
er; how he designs him for heaven with all its joys, 
and as these doctrines take possession of us, how 
the darkness flies away and the light of hope and 
joy and peace takes its place! 

6, For Our Consolation. There are no other 
teachings but those of the Bible which can wipe 
away our tears, bind up our broken hearts and bid 
the despairing hope again. Verily, this doctrine 
is profitable. 

Reproof. — ^The primary meaning of this word is 
to prove again ^ and the Bible is the measure by 
which we are to prove our thoughts, our motives 
and our lives. It is God's measure for the church, 
the state, the family, the individual, and we need 
constantly to take our lives and all to the Bible to 
test them, to see if they are as they should be in 
God's sight. It is necessary for our spiritual health 
and happiness, as well as for our usefulness in the 
world, that we keep ourselves right, for a sin in the 
life keeps us from knowing the truth in our hearts, 
and "a stain on the conscience is a speck in the 
eye." The Bible is God's looking-glass in which 
we are to look at ourselves, and it is profitable for 
this purpose, for it finds us at depths at which no 



1! 



AND USE THE BIBLE 65 

other book does. Let no false pride or foolish no- 
tion keep ns from constantly making use of it. 

Correction. — ^The Bible is not only God's meas- 
ure to show us our faults, it is his guide-book to 
show us how the faults may be mended. The true 
physician knows and applies the medicines which 
will cure the malady, as well as detect the dis- 
ease. So a profitable use of the Bible, and one for 
which it is specially adapted, is to right the wrongs 
of the world; to correct the abuses; to dissipate its 
darkness with the glorious light of the gospel. In 
our use of the Bible for ourselves, there is no more 
profitable way. There is no way to equal God's 
way in getting out of difficulties, in reforming 
abuses, in correcting evils, in righting wrongs. 
Happy is the man who uses God's remedies for the 
ills of life; for the Scriptures are profitable for cor- 
rection. 

Instruction in Righteousness. — Reproof and cor- 
rection are for the negative life ; instruction in right- 
eousness is for the positive life. It is not enough 
that we should cease do evil, but we must learn to 
do good. And the Bible is profitable in that it in- 
structs us in righteousness. 

1. It instructs us as to what is right. The 
standards of right, of justice and of truth which men 
have set up have ever been defective. It is well we 
have a standard which is ''right." 

2. It instructs us how the right things are to be 
done. We may know it is right to preach the gos- 
pel, or organize a church, or do the work of an 



w 



66 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

evangelist, but still we need to be instructed as to 
right ways to do these right things. There is no 
manual extant which compares with the Bible in 
its instructions and suggestions as to right ways of 
doing all the right things of an active Christian 
life. Search and see. 

To Perfect Men. The purpose of the teaching, 
the reproving, the correcting and the instruction in 
righteousness, so far as the man himself is con- 
cerned, is that he may be perfect; and the Bible is 
profitable in perfecting men, and each of us should 
use it for this purpose. Indeed, so far as we are 
concerned, any object less than this is unworthy of 
us. To be ''like Him" is the destiny of all follow- 
ers of Christ, and under God the Bible is one of the 
chief est instruments in attaining this result. This, 
then, is the real purpose of Bible study for self, and 
only as it is attained are we successful students of 
the Scriptures. 

Thoroughly Furnish Unto Good Works. — The use of 
the Bible for self does not end with perfecting self, 
but includes also the preparation of self to work 
for others. God blesses us to make us blessings, 
and we receive that we may give. In order that 
one may be thoroughly furnished unto every good 
work, he must study his Bible. It goes without 
saying that God knows best not only what works 
are good, but also the best ways of doing them. It 
ought to be more generally recognized that he has 
revealed his best ways to men, and that the Script- 
ures contain the revelation. And these Scriptures 



H 



AND USE THE BIBLE 67 

should be studied, not only that we may be good, 
but that we may do good. The age in which we 
live is, more than any which has gone before it, one 
which demands skilled workmen, workmen who 
need not be ashamed. It is to make such that the 
instructions in the Bible are given. If the good 
work to be done is the work of an elder, or a dea- 
con, or an evangelist, or a preacher, or a teacher; 
if it is to organize or govern a church, settle a dif- 
ficulty, administer the ordinances, convert sinners, 
edify saints, reprove, rebuke, exhort, restore the 
straying, resist the proud, silence scoffers, rouse the 
indifferent, comfort the broken-hearted, conduct a 
prayer-meeting or carry on a missionary enterprise, 
the Scriptures, properly studied, will fit us for the 
service as no other book can. It will be a great 
gain for the cause of Christ when Christians will 
consent to do His work in His way. 



68 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

CHAPTER IX. 
How to Use the Bible. 

IN PUBI^IC WORK. 

THE use of the Bible for self is only a prepara- 
tion to the use of the Bible for others. We 
learn that we may teach, we are fed that we may 
feed, we are comforted that we may comfort. The 
use of the Bible for others may be divided into Pub- 
lic Work, when a class or congregation is ad- 
dressed, and Personal Work, when an individual is 
addressed. This chapter will deal with the Public 
Work. 

The value of this work can not be over-estimated; 
it is now, judging from the practice of Christian 
workers, under-estimated. Much of this seeming 
indifference, however, is due to a lack of knowl- 
edge of the worker of the way to prepare and pre- 
sent the Bible readings, and of a personal inexperi- 
ence in regard to the power of these when properly 
presented. The suggestions here set down have 
been tested and found helpful, and are submitted 
as such. 

In teaching others we must travel over the same 
route which we traveled when we were taught. 
Therefore all the suggestions heretofore given re- 
garding how to understand the Bible will be helpful 
in assisting us to make others understand it. In 
the same way, what is profitable in our use of the 



AND USE THE BIBLE 69 

Bible for self, will be profitable in our use of it for 
others. The only change is in that where before we 
were led, now we are to lead, and as this is a part 
of every Christian's work, he should have two 
pairs of eyes, one to see for self, and one for others; 
he should have four ears, two for himself and two 
for others. If a thing has helped you, make a 
note of it, for it will help some one else. The very 
fact that the worker uses the Bible gives him 
power. The same truths may be presented, and 
even presented with more vigor and earnestness 
without the Bible, still the man with Bible in hand 
has the decided advantage. Moody carries his 
Bible under his arm on the way to his meetings 
and thus * 'preaches a sermon five miles long," 
more or less. The best results in a revival are 
gained when the Bible is most freely used. We 
need, many times, to get out a search warrant for 
the Bibles in a community, and bring them from 
obscurity. Indeed, he who would "successfully, 
wisely and intelligently lead souls to Christ, and 
profitably do Christian work," must draw from the 
Bible, rather than from his own experience or the 
the wisdom of men. It is a fountain of living 
water of which the world does not tire; our lives 
are at best but cisterns. 

The most common uses of the Bible in public 
are: Its reading from the pulpit, its teaching in 
the Sunday-school, and the Scripture readings in 
mid-week and young people's prayer-meeting. 
Another use is becoming to be known as Bible Read- 



70 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

ings, conducted under the direction of a leader, 
and participated in by all or part of the class or 
congregation. Bach of these deserves attention. 

Pulpit, — The public reading of the Word from 
the pulpit is often a matter of form. The minister, 
on the other hand, should consider it one of the 
most important parts of the service — the part in 
which he brings the v7ords of God to the people. 
In many places the congregation is supplied with 
Bibles, to follow or join the minister in the reading. 
In this, each is to pay attention to what is read, 
rather than strive to keep with the rest. The read- 
ing of the leader should be distinct and impressive, 
so all may understand. A short invocation before 
opening Bibles is impressive and secures God's 
blessing upon the study. 

Teacher. — The teacher who uses the Bible in 
teaching rather than the quarterly, has a great ad- 
vantage. If it is necessary to have notes, write 
them on slips and put them in the Bible so they 
will not be seen. The frequent use of the Bible in 
confirming or throwing light upon a truth by refer- 
ring to other passages has a splendid effect. The 
ideal class is the one in which teacher and pupils 
bring their Bibles and leave their quarterlies at 
home. It will be well, at times, for the superin- 
tendent to turn the whole Sunday-school into a 
Bible reading meeting while some special subject 
is treated. 

Prayer- Meetings. — One of the greatest needs of 
the social meetings of the church is the open Bible. 



AND USE THE BIBLE 71 

The Christian Endeavor movement has been a 
great blessing in bringing the Bible into use, but 
there is still much room for improvement. 

Home. — The Bible is used effectively in the home. 
At the usual family devotions the reading may be 
varied from the "chapter" by the father, to Bible 
readings of various kinds, in which the members 
all take part, either in responsive readings or in 
selected verses. Parlor Bible readings, in which 
friends and neighbors join in song and the study 
of the Scripture, are often helpful and interesting. 

Bible Readings. — This term has become almost a 
technical one, referring to a meeting of the church 
or the people in general, in which the special fea- 
ture is a Bible reading, the study of a topic or a 
book, by means of reading and commenting upon 
certain passages in the Bible. The term is also ap- 
plied to shorter studies, preceding the regular dis- 
course. 

KINDS OF BIBI,K READINGS. 

Praise Meeting. — In this service the passages of 
the Bible are used to express the feelings of the 
persons taking part, and are read one after another, 
with or without comment. The reading is inter- 
spersed with prayers and songs. 

Promise Meeting. — In this service the subject 
considered is God's promises. The whole subject 
may be considered, or those promises relating to 
one class. Promises to the penitent, the faithful, 



72 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

the overcomers, those who win souls, etc., are 
among the topics used. 

Bible Experience Meetings. — In these each per- 
son gives his experience in Bible language. 

Expositoiy. — The minister in the morning service 
may use the preaching time in expounding a pas- 
sage of Scripture. At the prayer-meeting the same 
may be done. Or the study may take the form of 
a conversation, the leader reading verse by verse, 
and all have an opportunity to speak or ask ques- 
tions. 

Elliptical, — In this all sit down with Bible in hand. 
The leader asks the questions and the others read 
the answers from the book, sometimes a verse, and 
sometimes only a word. An example of this, 
given by J. H. Vincent, is on Phil. 1. The first two 
verses are read and the leader says: Two persons 
are named here. The congregation reads: Paul 
and Timotheus. L. They are called? C. The 
servants of Jesus Christ. I^. They address this 
letter to. C. Saints. L. To what saints? C. To 
all the saints which are at Philippi, etc. 

Comparative. — In this the accounts of a given 
event, miracle, parable or teaching given by two 
writers is compared. In the course of the reading, 
note how they supplement each other; harmonize 
them, and note how different minds look at the 
same event. 

Topical. — This is one of the most popular forms 
of Bible reading. Some topic is announced, and 
then passages bearing upon the topic are read and 



AND USE THE BIBLE 73. 

commented upon by the leader or reader, and a 
summing up at the close by the leader. The read- 
ings are often interspersed mth song and prayer. 
The blackboard is often used with good effect to 
bring before the eye the results of the readings, to 
drill upon them or to review. 

HOW PREPARED. 

In the preparation of the Bible readings, three 
things should be aimed at: First, they should be 
interesting, otherwise people will not pay attention 
now nor come again; second, they should be in- 
structive, teaching something worthy to know; and 
third, they should be profitable, containing such 
truths as will minister to the upbuilding of the 
saint and the conversion of the sinner. 

The success of the meeting will depend upon the 
preparation made. Just how to prepare will depend 
upon the kind of a reading to be given. In Promise, 
Praise and Bible Bxperience Meetings, the congre- 
gation has to prepare each his passage and com- 
ment. In Expository, Elliptical and Comparative, 
the leader must specially prepare by acquiring a 
general knowledge of the passage, and planning 
his comments and questions. When Topical read- 
ings are allowed to be treated at random by the 
congregation, there is not much special preparation 
to make. If the Bible reading however, comes 
strictly under the technical meaning of the term, 
the following preparation will be necessary. 



74 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

The Topic. — Select some doctrine or exhortation 
as to Christian living, which exalts Christ or is 
practical in its application, such as: Faith, Hope, 
I/Ove, Grace, Prayer, Sanctification, New Birth, 
Justification, The New Man, Work, Warfare, etc. 

Concordance. — With your concordance find all the 
passages bearing on the subject. This may be done 
by looking up the passages in which the word it- 
self occurs, or those in which kindred words are 
found. For instance, if prayer is the subject, the 
words to be looked up will be pray, praying, prayer, 
ask, receive, answered, seek, find, petition, etc. 

Headings. — These passages are to be divided ac- 
cording to natural and logical divisions, and placed 
each under its appropriate heading, instead of 
bringing them in in a jumble. 

Development. — A study of the passage will show 
that there is a central thought to be presented. 
This selected, such passages as will be helpful in 
the development of the thought should be retained 
and placed in order. This done, the whole is to be 
reviewed, the line of thought fully grasped, and 
the method of presentation decided upon. Care 
should be taken not to use two many passages. 
One strong passage, teaching clearly a truth, is 
better than half a dozen, except when the purpose 
is to corroborate the statement of an author. 

HOW PRESE^NTED. 

The method of presenting a Bible reading should 
vary with the audience, the character of the study^ 



AND USE THE BIBLE. 75 

the circumstances and the surroundings. In large 
audiences, the leader should read the passages him- 
self, clearly, slowly, impressively, so all may hear 
and understand. Proper emphasis is often a good 
interpretation of the text. Or the audience may 
read responsively or in concert with the leader. 
Time should always be given so all can turn to the 
place. 

In a small audience, the references may be given 
out from the stand, volunteers repeating the refer- 
ence and reading the passage when called for. Or 
the references may be written on slips, and these 
distributed in the audience before the exercise com- 
mences. This plan may be used to select good 
readers, or to enlist the backward and timid. 

The leader should explain what is to be done with 
the slips, and if the holder is unwilling to comply, 
the slip should be passed back or given to some one 
who will. After calling for a passage twice without 
a response, the leader should read the passage him- 
self and not wait for those who have lost their 
place or are not prepared. In commenting upon 
the passages, simply call attention to the obvious 
truth each presents, and its place and connection in 
the subject being developed. Let the Word stand 
out clear and speak for itself. Put in as little opin- 
ion as possible, and then fortify it with Scripture. 
Do not seek to be a teacher, but to make the Word 
do the teaching, remembering that the less of our 
thoughts and our ideas in the reading, the better 
for all concerned. 



76 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 



CHAPTER X. 
How to Use the Bible. 

IN PKRSONAI, WORK. 

JUST as we have been faithful in using the Bible 
for self, just so will we be proficient in using 
it for others. While it is, in some respects, more 
difficult to use the Bible in the hand to hand con- 
flict with the individual than in public work, yet 
the advantage is the same which the attendant 
physician, treating a specific disease, has over the 
Board of Health, treating a whole city full of peo- 
ple at once. 

Personal work with individuals is often not done 
because of a lack of appreciation of its value and 
effectiveness, sometimes because it is work^ some- 
times because of timidity on the part of the worker, 
sometimes because of a prejudice against speaking 
privately about men's spiritual condition, and 
many times because the one zealous to save souls 
has not been instructed nor trained in doing the 
work. But when the work is done by earnest, 
humble men of God, even when not specially 
equipped, it is greatly blessed of God in the con- 
version of sinners and the edification of saints. 

Conditions of Success. — The conditions of success 
are not to be found so much in the person worked 
with as the worker himself, for * 'the gospel is the 
power of God unto salvation unto every one who 



AND USE THE BIBLE 77 

helievethy The worker who can, therefore, get 
men to believe the gospel with all their hearts, is a 
success. The worker, therefore, should himself be 
a man of strong faith in God's word, and one willing 
to obey it implicitly. 

1. Faith. — If we are to bring the message with 
power to others, we must believe that message our- 
selves. We must believe all the message, for infi- 
delity at heart mil destroy our power. Our suc- 
cess grows as our faith grows in the ' 'Thus saith 
the Lord" of Scripture. We can not afford to 
make any concessions to infidelity, for when we do, 
it is a concession to the devil, it is dishonoring to 
our Master, and it makes God a liar. When we are 
full of faith, we have confidence in our weapon, 
our cause and our Captain, and can wield the truth 
with all our strength. 

2, Love for Souls. — If we do not love souls, we 
cannot be much interested in their salvation. If 
we have not that love, we must get it. To do this, 
we will need to consider the value of souls, so pre- 
cious that Jesus died for them; second, the lost con- 
dition of souls without Christ, and the agony in 
store for them; third, commune with Jesus about 
them, for he loves them, and will help us to love 
them; fourth, think of our own lost condition and 
what Jesus did for us. 

J. Working Knowledge of the Bible. — It is not 
presumed any one will ever know the Bible fully, 
but almost any Christian knows, or can know with 
a little study, enough for him to be able to use the 



HOW TO UNDERSTAND 



Bible in winning souls for Christ. What we are to 
be able to do is, 1. To show men their need of a 
Saviour. This is done by showing them that they 
are sinners, and under the curse of the law. 2. 
We are to show men that Jesus is the Saviour they 
need. This can be done by showing that he is the 
Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the 
world. 3. We are to show them how to make the 
Saviour their Saviour. This is done by leading them 
to fulfill the divinely-appointed conditions of adop- 
tion into the family of God. 4. We are to meet 
the difficulties which stand in their way. This can 
be done by using an appropriate Scripture, for there 
is an ''It is written" to meet every wile of the 
wicked one and every doubt of the darkened soul. 
5. We are to show men how to hold out faithful, 
and induce the converts to convert others. In so 
doing we gain a double joy, we win a double 
crown. 

4, Prayer. — ^To succeed we need to pray much. 
Pray that we may be filled with faith and the Holy 
Spirit; that we may be led to the right person, that 
we may be guided in what we shall say, that God 
will bless the message which we bear, and the per- 
son to whom it is borne, and that he will carry on 
the work which we have been permitted to help in. 

5. Preparation. — Besides these general condi- 
tions, there should be special preparation for the 
work. In this we will find the Bible to be God's 
arsenal from which we are to get our ammunition. 
So far as the knowledge of the Bible is concerned, it 



AND USE THE BIBLE 79 

is well for us, after classifying the truths which the 
sinner will need, to select such texts as will fit the 
case, jotting them down upon slips of paper. 
These passages and their position in the Bible, 
should be made very familiar to the worker. It 
will be well, perhaps, to mark the passages in such 
a manner that they may be readily referred to and 
known at a glance. A classification which is sug- 
gested by a prominent Bible worker is as follows; 

1. Requirements of God's Law. 

2. Failure of man to keep the Law. 

3. Condition of man condemned by the Law. 

4. Sin of man's rejection of Jesus. 

5. Christ as substitute under the Law. 

6. Forgiveness through Christ. 

7. Illustrations of conversions. 

8. Answer to Difficulties. 

Process. — In nearly every case we will find the 
way prepared for us. It may be we will have to 
wait for an opportunity, but if we watch for it, it 
will surely come in God's time. In most cases a 
simple question about their spiritual condition will 
give the desired opportunity, and one of the re- 
markable things in the work is how seldom does 
the consecrated worker meet with rebuff. 

The worker is not to wait until others come, but 
he is to **Go,'* and to seek for open doors. It is 
well to select some one person, and lay plans to win 
him to Christ. Fish for him. Persons of the same 
sex and about the same age, are preferable ones to 
deal with. 



80 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

In successfully dealing with them it is necessary 
to determine {i) Where the person stands. Diag- 
nose the case, and treat it accordingly. For in- 
stance, a person who believes God's word and ac- 
cepts it as authority, needs nothing in the way of 
evidences. He who believes in Jesus as the Son of 
God and his Saviour, needs not to be told of faith. 
The penitent needs not to be told to sorrow for his 
sins. Do not try to do over what has already been 
done, but take the next step and (^) Lead him 
directly to Christ. Deal with all his difficulties 
only as they stand between him and Christ. His 
fear, his love of sin, his old companions and habits, 
etc. , will all take care of themselves when the man 
once unconditionally accepts Jesus as his Saviour 
and Ivord. Having gotten him to thus surrender 
his will and trust in his Lord, show him how he is 
to turn away from sin (repent), to confess Jesus 
with the mouth before men, and obey him in all 
things he has commanded, beginning with Chris- 
tian baptism, and teach him that in thus believing, 
repenting, confessing and obeying his Master, he 
has the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit 
and eternal life. (3) Having led the man thus to 
obey the Saviour, it will be necessary in order that 
he may hold out faithful, to lead him into active 
service for the Master, and to active participation 
in his church duties and worship. 

Handling Texts. — After being prepared with your 
knowledge of your Bible and plan of treating dif- 
ferent cases, it is important that the texts be used 



AND USE THE BIBLE 81 

in the most effective manner. An illustration of 
the use of one or two may be helpful. If in an- 
swer to your question, "Are you a Christian?'* the 
person says *'No," and to your question, *'Why 
not?" he replies, "I am too great a sinner," turn to 
1. Tim. 1: 15, and have him read, '*This is a faith- 
ful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom 
I am chief. ' * Ask him whom Jesus came to save, 
He will reply * 'sinners." "If you, then, are a sin- 
ner, to whom does this verse apply?" "It applies 
to me." If, then, Jesus came to save you, will you 
not trust him and accept him? If he thinks it too 
good to believe, insist that this is God's word and 
urge him to believe it. This will remove his objec- 
tion and likely lead him to Christ. If, on the other 
hand, he is self-righteous, show him by Rom. 3: 23, 
that all have sinned and come short of the glory of 
God, and keep at him until he acknowledges that 
he has sinned and come short of the glory of God. 
Then show him by Rom. 6 : 23 that ' 'the wages of 
sin is death," and that he has earned those wages. 
This will likely make him feel his need of a Saviour. 
Then lead him to see that Jesus came to save sin- 
ners, and that by trusting in him comes salvation. 
The many passages in the chapter on Bible readings 
for ' 'special classes' ' will be found helpful. It is 
not advisable to use very many at once. Often one 
text, used over and over again, will prove more ef- 
fective than to use many. If he is not willing to 
accept one, he will not likely accept many, and too 
6 



82 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

many are apt to confuse. Keep to one text until 
its truth is fully accepted. 

Bible vs. Experiences. — Among the chief diffi- 
culties in the way of the personal worker, so far as 
the person to be dealt with is concerned, is the mis- 
conception many have in regard to the place re- 
ligious experience has in coming to and serving 
Christ. The testimony of so prominent a Bible 
worker as Major Whitter will be both interesting 
and helpful. He says, ' 'The sinner has a concep- 
tion of what a religious experience ought to be, 
and waits for it to come to him. He tries to work 
up his feelings by thinking of his sins, and by 
thinking of the sufferings of Christ, with the idea 
that when he has produced feeling enough, that 
will be conversion, while he has not really laid hold 
of Christ at all with a saving faith. By the use of 
the Word, we present Christ to the sinner as the 
object of faith, and the Scriptures revealing Christ 
as the ground of faith. God's promises in the gos- 
pel are like so many hands held out to the sinner 
to draw him to Jesus. ' ' He tells of a woman who 
for forty j^ears had been a follower of Jesus, but 
had no assurance, because she had no feeling. 
When she was shown by the Word that she was jus- 
tified, not by her feelings but by her faith and 
obedience, she was happy. He further adds: ''It 
is of the enemy of souls to lead the convicted sin- 
ner to look for the experience of feeling and the 
results of believing before he believes. He is told, 
and truly so, that all the steps of his conversion 



AND USE THE BIBLE 83 

must be the work of the Holy Spirit; that he must 
be drawn by the Spirit, quickened by the Spirit, 
and that when he is born again the Spirit will bear 
witness with his spirit that he is a child of God — 
all of which is most blessedly true — ^but all of which 
the anxious soul will invariably misapply. We are 
to show him that the Holy Spirit does all this 
through the Word, as presenting Christ. That he 
is drawn by the gospel invitations (Matt. 11:28); 
that he is quickened when he believes; that Christ 
was delivered for our sins and raised again for our 
justification (Rom. 4: 25); and his attention should 
be especially directed to the testimony that the 
sinner can know nothing of the indwelling and 
the witness of the Holy Spirit until after he be- 
lieves. See John 1: 12; 7: 38, 39; 1 John 5: 10, 13; 
Kph. 11: 13 and Rom. 8: 16, in connection with 
Rom. 5: land 8:1." 

*'In every Scripture, belief and obedience pre- 
cede Holy Spirit. We must lift up Jesus, Jesus 
only, as revealed in his Word. Tell the message of 
a finished and complete salvation, and insist that 
the sinner — without reference to his excuses, his 
plea of inability or his desire for delay — obey im- 
mediately, his duty being to surrender his will to 
God's will, in believing in Jesus. Insist that his 
will to be saved, and his obedience to God's com- 
mands is all he wants. Show him he is permitted 
to take salvation; that he is invited to take it, that 
he is entreated to take it, that he is commanded to 
take it, that your warrant for urging him is Christ's 



84 HOW TO UNDERSTAND 

command to compel them to come in, and that 
Christ said they are lost because they will not 
come/' 

SUNDRY SUGGKSTIONS. 

Be natural, kind, courteous, interested. 

Don't argue. Show the teaching of the Word, 
and let the truth do its work. 

Our work is to make men know the gospel, and 
the whole of it. 

The Sword of the Spirit is our weapon; use it, 
don't argue about it. 

Teach the verities of the Bible, not those things 
about which men may speculate. 

Don't suppose you must use all your ammunition 
on one man. One verse containing the truth de- 
sired to be taught, will be more effective than half 
a dozen, for in using so many we often confuse. 

Don't make a set speech. Use tact. 

In most cases those who object to the Bible are 
not seeking for light, but to establish themselves in 
darkness. 

Treat disbelief as a sin to be repented of. If one 
say, *'I can not believe the Bible," answer, **It is 
true, nevertheless, and if you don't believe it you 
are lost." If he says, *'I cannot believe Jesus is 
the Christ," answer, **Heisthe Christ, neverthe- 
less, and if you do not believe it, you will be 
damned. ' ' 

If compelled to leave an inquirer before he is 
brought to surrender to Christ, leave him with his 



AND USE THE BIBLE, 85 

finger on a text, admonishing him to trust in that 
and not in his feelings or his goodness, nor any- 
thing but God and his Word. 

Lead the sinner to look away from himself and 
unto Jesus for his salvation. 



Bible Readings*^ 



FOR SPECIAL CLASSES. 

/. I donH care anything about salvation. lam 
not interested in the matter. 

All have sinned. Rom. 3: 23. 

All have gone astray. Isa. 53: 6. 

Cursed if keep not all the law. Gal. 3: 10. 

Wages of sin is death. Rom. 6 : 23. 

Consequences of sin. Jno. 3: 36; 2 Thess. 1: 7-9; 
John 8: 24. 

The greatest commandment broken. Matt. 22: 
37, 38. 

Rejecting Jesus damns. Heb. 10: 28, 29; John 
16:9. 

Jesus bruised for our iniquities. Isa. 53: 5, 6. 

God gave his Son for me. John 3: 16. 

What Jesus suffered for us. 1 Pet. 2: 24; 1 Pet. 
1:18; Ivukel7:24. 

All men die and then the judgment. Heb. 9: 27. 

2, lam too great a sinner. I ayn lost. 

Jesus came to save sinners. 1 Tim. 1: 15. 

Jesus came to save the lost. I^uke 19: 10. 

While yet sinners, Jesus died for us. Rom. 5: 8. 

Jesus came to call sinners. Matt. 9: 12, 13. 



* For suggestions on how to use, see chapters on "How to 
Use the Bible— In Public— In Private." 

87 



BIBLE READINGS 



Whosoever calleth on the Ivord shall be saved. 
Rom. 10:13. 

Whosoever believeth hath remission of sins. 
Acts 10: 43. 

Jesus saves to the uttermost those who come. 
Heb. 7: 25. 

Though your sins be as scarlet, be white. Isa. 1 : 
18. 

J. I cannot hold out. 

Christ able to keep you from falling. Jude 24. 

Christ keep what intrasted to him. 2 Tim. 1: 12. 

Christ not allow to be tempted above what 
able. 1 Cor. 10: 13. 

We kept by power of God. 1 Pet. 1:5; John 10: 
28, 29. 

4, I am too weak. 

God knows our weakness and will help. 1 Cor. 
10: 13. 

We can do all things through Christ. Phil. 4: 13. 

Christ's strength perfected in our weakness. 2 
Cor. 12: 9, 10. 

God is present help in trouble. Psa. 46: 1. 

5, God wont receive ine. I am afraid I am not 
one of the elect. 

God will have all men to be saved. 1 Tim. 2: 4. 
God not willing any should perish. 1 Pet. 3:9. 
Whosoever will, may take of water of life. Rev. 
22:17. 

Whosoever calleth on Lord, saved. Rom. 10: 13. 
Those who come will not be cast out. John 6: 37. 

6, Waiting for a call. 



BIBLE READINGS 89 

The Spirit and the bride say come. Rev. 22: 17. 

Jesus says, Come unto me. Matt. 11: 28. 

Jesus says, Come, for all things are now ready. 
Luke 14: 17. 

If not hear these calls, not hear one from dead. 
Luke 16: 30, 31. 

/. / cannot give up my evil ways. 

You must or perish. Gal. 6: 7, 8. 

You can w^th Christ's help. Phil. 4: 13. 

Trust in Christ, for in him is all power. Matt. 
28: 18. 

Trust risen Christ for power. 1 Cor. 15: 3, 4. 

8. Seeking but cannot fifid. 

If seek with whole heart shall find. Jer. 29 : 13. 

Blessing found in obedience. Acts 2: 28. 

Note. — in most cases of failure, persons looking 
for something not promised, or else seeking in 
man's way and not God's. 

p. / have no feeling. 

To make them feel that they are sinners, use 
texts under *' Indifferent." 

Feeling needed is desire of salvation. Isa. 55: V. 
Rev. 22: 17. 

Not feeling, but faith needed. Acts 16: 31. 

God no place in the Bible requires feeling, but 
faith, repentance and obedience. 

The feeling that the Holy Spirit has come is only 
experienced after obedience. Acts 5: 32; 2: 38. 

10. I am afraid of companions. 

Trust in God, not in men. Prov. 29: 25. 

Result of holding to evil companions. Prov. 13:20. 



90 BIBLE READINGS 

BlCvSsed in giving up evil companions. Psa. 1:1. 
Better companions gained in Christ. 1 John 1:3. 

11. I will be persecuted. 

Persecution is the path to glory. 2 Tim. 2: 12; 
3:12. 

Jesus gives joy even in persecution. Matt. 5: 
10-12. 

Suffering now less than glory then. Rom. 8: 18. 

Look for victory in persecution. Heb. 12: 3, 4. 

12. Too much to give up. 

lyose all rather than soul. Mark 8 : 36. 
What lose is less than gain. Phil. 3:7, 8. 
Not asked to give up any good thing. Rom. 8 : 32. 
Things must give up worthless. Ivuke 12: 16-21; 
1 John 2: 17. 

13. Christian life too hard. 

The way of the transgressor hard. Prov. 13: 15. 

The way of the righteous blessed. Matt. 11 : 28- 
30. 

Christian blessed even in persecution. Matt. 5 : 
10-12. 

God's commands are not grievous. 1 John 5: 3. 

14. It will hurt my business. 

What profit if gain all and lose soul? Mark 8: 38. 

Seek kingdom first, and all necessary things 
added. Matt. 6:32, 33. 

75-. It is too late. 

God's time is now. 2 Cor. 6: 2. 

May come, even at last hour. lyuke 23: 39-43. 

God delajn-ug judgment that you may come. 2 
Pet. 3: 9. 



BIBLE READINGS 91 

Bven in' latter days, turn, and God be merciful. 
Deut. 4: 30, 31. 

If willing, not too late. Rev. 22: 17. 

i6. Self-righteous. * '/ am not such a great sin- 
Tier ^ ''I do the best I can."*' ''I have never done 
anything so very bad. ' ' 

If trust in own works, are under the law and 
therefore under curse for not keeping it. Gal. 3: 10. 

If offended in one point of law, guilty of all. 
Jas. 2: 10. 

By deeds of law no man be justified. Gal. 2: 16; 
Rom. 3: 19, 20. 

Broken the greatest commandment. Matt. 22: 
37, 38. 

Impossible to please God without faith. Heb. 
11:6. 

The greatest sin is to reject Jesus. Johr 16: 9. 

Eternal life depends solely on accepting Jesus. 
John 3: 16. 

Greatest punishment for those who reject Jesus. 
Heb. 10: 28, 29. 

I J. God is too good to damn any one. 

We know nothing of God*s goodness but what 
the Bible reveals. 

Purpose of God's goodness is to lead men to re- 
pentance. To trample on goodness is to treasure up 
wrath. Rom. 2: 2, 4, 5. 

God will reject those who reject his Son. John 
8:21, 24; 3: 36. 

Men damn themselves in spite of God. John 5: 
40; 2 Pet. 3: 9-11; Kzek. 33: 11. 



92 BIBLE READINGS 

Life freely offered hut ye will not come. John 5: 
40. 

God spared not angels who persisted in sin, and 
will not you. 2 Pet. 2: 4-6, 9. 

Except ye repent, ye shall perish. Luke 13: 3. 

i8. I am trying to be a Christian. 

This is not what Jesus requires. 

We are to receive Jesus as Saviour. John 1: 12. 

Not to try but to trust. Acts 16 : 31. 

We are justified by his grace. Rom. 3: 23-25. 

ig. ''^ I feel I aTU going to heaven. ^^ ^^ I feel I 
am saved.''' 

If not believe on Son shall not see life. John 3: 
36. 

It is not faith that rests upon feelings, but faith 
that rests upon the Word of God that saves. 

The Pharisee felt he was all right, but was all 
wrong. Luke 18 : 9-14. 

Saul felt he was right when he persecuted the 
church. Acts 26: 9, 10. 

There is a way which seemeth right to a man, 
the end of which is death. Prov. 14: 12. 

20. Sinner, yes, but will he saved. 

The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom. 
1 Cor. 6: 9, 10. 

If living in sin not overcome world, and if so not 
bom of God. 1 John 5:4,5. 

21. I lack assurance. 

We may know we have eternal life. 1 John 5 : 13. 
If we have received Jesus, sons of God. John 1 : 
12. 



BIBLE READINGS 93 

If keep commandments, right to tree of life. 
Rev. 22:14. 

If fulfilled requirements, saved. Mark 16: 15, 16; 
Acts 2: 38. 

If we believe not witnesses of Word, make God 
a liar. 1 John 5: 10. 

Sin confessed and repented of gives assurance. 
John 8: 12; 1 John 1:9. 

22. Backsliders. 

What iniquity have you found in the Lord. Jer. 
2:5. 

It is an evil thing and a bitter to forsake God. 
Jer. 2:19. 

Sin brings a man down to level of brutes. Luke 
15:13-17. 

If acknowledge sin, repent, lyord will receive. 
Jer. 3: 12, 13, 22. 

God loves and will receive again. 1 John 1:9. 

Prodigal returned. Note steps in. Luke 15: 11- 
24. 

2^. I will wait. Not to-night. Sotne other 
time. 

Seek Lord when may be found (now). Isa. 55: 6. 

After often reproved, suddenly destroyed. ( Risk) . 
Prov. 29: 1. 

Those ready, went in, those not, shut out. Matt. 
25:10-12. 

To-night thy soul may be required. I#uke 12: 
19, 20. 

24. Must fix my business first. 

Seek first the kingdom. Matt. 6 : 33. 



:94 BIBLE READINGS 

2j. I am waiting God's time. 

Will you accept Christ in God's time? 

'*Now" is the time. 2 Cor. 6:2. 

To-day, harden not hearts. Heb. 3: 15. 

26. I am, too young. 

In days of youth time to seek God. Eccl. 12: 1. 

If can hear, believe, repent, obey Gospel, not too 
young. 

^7. Hypocrites in the church, 

Kach one give an account of himself. Rom. 14: 
12. 

Inexcusable, when do not obey gospel. Rom. 2:1. 

What is that to thee? Follow thou me. John 21 : 
21, 22. 

NoTK. — Counterfeit shows value of true. Will 
you live in church with hypocrites a few years, or 
with them in hell for eternity? 
" 28, Christians mistreated m.e . 

But what iniquity found in Ivord? Jer. 2: 5. 

Note. — It is not right to mistreat God, because 
some man mistreated you. 

Necessity of forgiving. Matt. 6: 14, 15; 18: 23- 
35; Eph. 4: 30-32. 

2g, Dont like God's way. 

Note. — if men are really in earnest about being 
saved, the manner will not stand in the way. 

Use texts for * 'Indifferent. ' ' 

Sin of replying against God. Rom. 9: 20. 

May not know just why God's way is this. Rom. 
11:33. 

JO. God is unjust to create and then damn. 



BIBLE READINGS 95 

God hath no pleasure in death of wicked. Kzek. 
33: 11. 

God not willing any should perish. 2 Pet. 3:9. 

God wills all men to be saved. 1 Tim. 2:3, 4. 

The whole cause of man's damnation — his re- 
fusal to come to Christ and be saved. John 5 : 40 ; 
Matt. 23: 37; John 3: 36; John 3: 16. 

j7. The Bible is full of contradictions, 

NoTK. — Hand the Bible to the objector and ask 
him to find one. He will usually be put to shame. 
Seeming contradictions are not necessarily contra- 
dictions, and our failure to know is the cause of 
seeming contradictions. 

Foolishness to unsaved is power of God. 1 Cor. 
1:18. 

Gospel hid to them lost. 2 Cor. 4: 3, 4. 

Pleasure in unrighteousness makes us believe lie. 
2 Thess. 2: 10-12. 

If really wish to know the doctrine, do his will. 
John 7: 17. 

When we come as children, we know truth. 
Matt. 11:25. 

^2. The Bible is foolishness to me. 

Because you are unsaved. 1 Cor. 1 : 18. 

Because blinded by god of this world. 2 Cor. 4: 
3,4. 

Because it is spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. 2: 14. 

Because ye seek not the honor which comes from 
God. John 5: 44. 

jj. I don't think there is a God, 

Sin is the source of this unbelief. Psa. 14: 1-3. 



96 BIBLE READINGS 

The works of God's hands testify of him. Psa. 
19: 1, 2. 

Unbeliever without excuse. Rom. 1: 19-21. 

j^. / don ' t know about future existence. 

Death must come before life. 1 Cor. 15: 35, 36. 

Jesus says the dead shall rise. John 5: 28, 29. 

J5. / am an honest doubter. 

If any man will do his will, he shall know doc- 
trine whether it be of God. John 7: 17. 

Note. — if honest, and believes there is a God, 
then is willing to do his will. If not believe there 
is a God, will want to do right. In either case 
will be willing to follow the right as rapidly as they 
find it. Lead them to pray to God to show them 
the right, and to promise to do God's will as soon 
as they know it. If not willing to do so, shows 
they are not ho7iest doubters, but sinners in love 
with sin. 

j6. / donH believe in future punishment. 

Who have part in lake of fire. Rev. 21: 8. 

Those who in lake of fire are alive. Rev. 19 : 20. 

The lake of fire did not destroy life. Rev. 20: 10. 

Those not in I^amb's book of life in lake. Rev. 
13:7, 8. 

Destruction of soul and body different. Matt. 
10: 28. 

After body killed, soul may be punished in hell. 
Luke 12: 5. 

Wicked dead think, remember, feel, talk. Luke 
16: 23-26. 

Inhabitants are reserved alive. 2 Pet. 2: 4; Jude6. 



BIBLE READINGS 97 

Better never been born than go to hell. Mark 
14: 21. 

Sorer punishment than death. Heb. 10: 28, 29. 

WHAT MUST I DO TO BK SAVED? 

The proper answer to this question will depend 
upon who asks it. If a sinner, certain things will 
be required which will not be required of a saint. 
The answers belovv are those given by Christ and 
his apostles, first to sinners, then to saints. 

Christ* s Commission. — Go ye into all the world 
and preach the gospel to every creature. He that 
believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Mark 16 : 
15, 16, 

Thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise 
again from the dead the third day, and that repenU 
ance and remission of sins should be preached 
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And 
ye are witnesses of these things. Luke 24: 46-48. 
Under this commission the apostles demanded the 
following things of the sinner, viz. : 

Paul to Philippian Jailer. — The jailer, frightened 
because of earthquakes, etc., fell down at the feet 
of Paul and Silas and cried, "Sirs, what shall I do 
to be saved?" "And they said, Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christy and thou shalt be saved, and thy 
house. And they spake unto him the word of the 
Lord^ and to all that were in his house. And he 
took them the saline hour of the nighty and washed 
their stripes; and was baptized, he and his, straight- 
way. And when he had brought them into his 
7 



98 BIBLE READINGS 

house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, be- 
lieving in God with all his house,'" Acts 16: 31-34. 

Peter and the Pentecostians. — Peter preached, 
'^Therefore let all the house of Israel know as- 
suredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom 
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now 
when they heard this, they were pricked in their 
hea^d^ and said unto Peter and to the rest of the 
apostles. Men and brethren, what shall we do? 
Then Peter said unto them, Repent^ and be bap- 
tized every one of you iri the name of Jesus Christ 
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Ghost. Then they that gladly re- 
ceived his word were baptized." Acts 2: 36-38, 41. 

Philip and the Samaritans. — "Philip went down 
to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto thetn 
Christ. And the multitude gave heed with one 
accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip 
when they heard ^ and saw the signs they did. . . . 
But when they believed Philip preaching good tid- 
ings concerning the kingdom of God and the name 
of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and 
women." Acts 8: 4-6, 12. 

Philip and the Eunuch. — The eunuch asked Philip 
for an explanation of Isa. 53: 7, 8. "Then Philip 
opened his mouth, and began at the same script- 
ure, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they 
went on their way, they came unto a certain water: 
and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth 
hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said. If thou 
believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he 



BIBLE READINGS 99 

answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the 
Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to 
stand still: and they went down both into the water ^ 
both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized hiva. 
And when they were come up out of the water, the 
Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the 
eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way 
rejoicing y Acts 8: 35-39. 

Peter and Cornelius. — The angel told Cornelius to 
send for Peter, ' 'Who shall tell thee words where- 
by thou and all thy house shall be saved." Acts 
11: 14, Peter came and spoke to them of Jesus. 
* 'While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost 
fell on all them which heard the word. And they 
of the circumcision w^hich believed were astonished, 
as many as came with Peter, because that on the 
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy 
Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues^ 
and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any 
man forbid water, that these should not be bap- 
tized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well 
as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in 
the name of the Lord." Acts 10: 44-48. 

Ananias and Saul of Tarsus. — Saul, on his way to 
Damascus to destroy the Christians, sees Jesus, and 
Saul said, ' 'What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord 
said unto him, Arise, and go into Damascus; and 
there it shall be told thee of all things which are 
appointed for thee to do." Acts 22: 10. "And he 
was three days without sight, and neither did eat 
nor drink, '^ Acts 9: 9. Then Ananias came, put 

Li OTCt 



100 BIBLE READINGS 

his hands on his eyes, opened them, told him of 
God*s purpose to make him his mtness to the Gen- 
tiles, and said, ' 'And now why tarriest thou? arise y 
and be baptized^ and wash away thy sins, calling on 
the na^ne of the Lord.^^ Acts 22: 16. ^ 

What MEN did in these cases may be summar- 
ized as follows: The evangelist, or apostles preached 
the gospel of Jesus Christ; those to whom it was 
preached, heard, gave heed, believed, gladly re~ 
ceived their word; they repented of their sins and 
turned to serve the living God; and without delay, 
in the same hour of the night in one case, were 
baptized in the name of Jesus, calling on the name 
of the Lord, and then went on their way rejoicing. 
In doing these things they were saved, received the 
remission of their sins and the gift of the Holy 
Ghost. 

Go THOU AND DO WKEWISE. 



Bible Readings^ 

GENERAL. 

FAITH. 

Paith necessary to please God. Heb. 11: 6. 

Faith comes by hearing. Rom. 10: 17. 

Divinely revealed confession of faith. Matt. 16: 
16, 17. 

Confession of faith and salvation. Rom. 10: 8-10. 

What written to give faith. John 20: 30, 31. 

What to believe to have salvation. Rom. 1 : 16, 
17. 

Faith makes wise nnto salvation. 2 Tim. 3: 14-16. 

Born of God, through faith in Christ. 1 John 5:1. 

Facts of Gospel to believe. 1 Cor. 15: 1-5 

Can faith alone justify. Jas. 2: 24. 

Faith perfected by works. Jas. 2: 21, 22. 

He that believeth on the Son: 

Hath everlasting life. John 3: 36. 

Shall never thirst. John 6: 35. 

Is not condemned. John 3: 18. 

Shall not be confounded. 1 Pet. 2:6. 

Though he were dead, yet shall he live. John 
11:25. 

Shall never die. John 11: 26. 

Shall not abide in darkness. John 12: 46. 

Shall not perish. John 3: 15. 

Shall receive remission of sins. Acts 10: 43. 
101 



102 BIBLE READINGS 

Shall not be ashamed. Rom. 9: 33. 
He that belie veth not: 
Is condemned already. John 3: 18. 
God hath made him a liar. 1 John 5 : 10. 
Shall be condemned. Mark 16: 16. 
Shall not see life. John 3: 36. 

REPKNTANCK. 

Repentance and remission of sins to be preached, 
lyuke 24: 4 

Godly sorrow worketh repentance. 2 Cor. 7: 9, 
10. 

Sinner called to repentance. I/uke 5: 31, 32. 

All men called to repentance. Acts 17: 29, 30. 

All need repentance, all sinners. Rom. 3: 10-12. 

God wishes all to come to repentance. 2 Pet. 3: 9. 

Repent or perish. Luke 13: 1-5. 

Believers to repent. Acts 2: 36-38. 

Penitent believers to be baptized. Acts 2: 38. 

Joy in heaven when sinner repents. Luke 15: 7. 

BAPTISM. 

I. Authority for. 

Jesus was baptized. Matt. 3: 13-16. 

John's baptism from God. Matt. 21: 25. 

Father, Son and Holy Spirit approve it. Matt. 
3: 13-16. 

Jesus commands baptism in commission. Matt. 
28: 19. 

Jesus commands baptism in commission. Mark 
16:16. 

Peter commands it in obeying commission. Acts 
2:38. 



BIBLE READINGS 103 

Philip baptized Samaritans. Acts 8: 12. 
Philip baptized eunuch. Acts 8: 36-38. 
Ananias baptized Saul. Acts 9: 18. 
Peter baptized Cornelius, Gentile. Acts 10: 47. 
Paul baptized lyvdia. Acts 16: 15. 
Paul baptized Philippian jailer. Acts 16: 33. 
Paul baptized Corinthians. Acts 18: 8. 
Paul re-baptized those baptized with John's bap- 
tism. Acts 19: 1-5. 

2. Element. 

Jesus baptized in Holy Spirit. Matt. 3: 11; Acts 
2:33; 11:15,16. 

John the Baptist baptized in the Jordan. Matt. 
3:6. 

Philip baptized in water. Acts 8: 36-38. 

Peter baptized in water. Acts 10: 47, 48. 

3. Administrator. 

John the Baptist. Mark 1 : 4. 
Jesus' disciples. John 4: 1, 2. 
Philip, the deacon. Acts 8.: 38. 
Paul, the apostle. 1 Cor. 1: 16. 
Paul's associates. 1 Cor. 1: 15, 16. 
Ananias, of Damascus. Acts 9: 18. 

4. Who to be baptized 
Those taught. Matt. 28: 19. 

Those who believe the gospel. Mark 16: 15, 16. 
Those who repent. Acts 2: 38. 
Those who gladly receive the word. Acts 2: 41 . 
Men and women. Acts 8: 12. 
Those who believed with all the heart. Acts 8 : 
37. 



104 BIBLE READINGS 

Those who believed Jesus, the Christ. Acts 8: 37. 

Those on whom the Spirit had been miraculously 
poured out and who spake with tongues. Acts 10: 
47. 

Jews. Acts 2: 5, 41. 

Gentiles, jailer, Corinthians, etc. Acts 10: 47; 16: 
33; 18: 8. 

Moral man, Cornelius. Acts 10: 47. 

Wicked man, jailer. Acts 16: 33. 

Note. — in "household baptisms" nothing to in- 
dicate that there were any who differed in any re- 
spect from head of house; for instance, in the ac- 
count of jailer's household (Acts 16), we find that 
they all heard the word of the Lord (v. 32) ; that 
they all believed the word (v. 34) , and that they 
were all baptized (v. 33). 

5. Manner of baptizing. 

Jesus went to the water. Matt. 3: 13. 

Both Philip and the eunuch went down into the 
water. Acts 8: 38. 

When Paul baptized people, he buried them. 
Rom. 6:4. 

When Paul baptized people he planted them. 
Rom. 6:5. 

When Paul baptized people he washed their bod- 
ies. Heb. 10: 22. 

When Paul baptized people he raised them up, 
Rom. 6: 4. 

Both Philip and the eunuch came up out of the 
water. Acts 8: 39. 



BIBLE READINGS 105 

Jesus * Vent up straightway out of the water." 
Matt. 3:16. 
6. Effects of baptism. 
Saved. Mark 16: 16. 
Received remission of sins. Acts 2: 38. 
Received gift of Holy Ghost. Acts 2: 38. 
Washed away sins. Acts 22: 16. 
Baptized into Christ. Rom. 6 : 3. 
Put on Christ. Gal. 3: 27. 
Fulfilled righteousness. Matt. 3: 15. 

Into. 

Noah entered into the ark. Gen. 7: 13. 

Joseph was cast into the pit. Gen. 37: 24. 

The * 'Hebrew children" were cast into the fiery 
furnace. Dan. 3: 23. 

Daniel was cast into the den of lions. Dan. 6: 16. 

Wicked cast into hell. Mark 9: 47. 

Righteous go into heaven. Acts 1: 11. 

Philip and the eunuch went down into the water. 
Acts 8: 38. 

Out of. 

Adam driven out of the garden. Gen. 3: 24. 

Noah went out of the ark. Gen. 8: 19. 

L/Ot went out of Sodom. Gen. 19: 14. 

Joseph was taken out of the dungeon. Gen. 41: 
14. 

Daniel was taken up out of the den of lions. 
Dan. 6: 23. 

Philip and the eunuch came up out of the water. 
Acts .8: 39. 



106 BIBLE READINGS 

Justification. 
It brings 

Peace for the past. Rom. 5: 1. 
Grace for the present. Rom. 5: 2. 
Glory for the future. Rom. 5:3. 
It is attained 
By faith. Rom. 5: 1. 

By works, and not by faith only. Jas. 2: 24. 
By the blood of Christ. Rom. 5: 8, 9. 
By the resurrection of Christ. Rom. 4: 25. 
By the Lord. Rom. 8: 33. 

Henceforth 
Walk not as other Gentiles. Bph. 4: 17. 
Not serve sin. Rom. 6:6. 

Not to live to selves, but to Him. 2 Cor. 5: 15. 
Not to be children, but men. Eph. 4: 14. 
Called not servants, but friends. John 15: 15. 
Crown of Righteousness laid up for me. 2 Tim. 
4:8. 

God Works 

For us. John 17: 4. 

In us. Heb. 13: 21 and Phil. 2: 13. 

By us. 2 Cor. 3: 20. 

With us. Mark 16: 20. 

Four Faithful Sayings. 
Christ came to save sinners. 1 Tim. 1: 15. 
Godliness is profitable. 1 Tim. 4: 8, 9. 
If we suffer we shall reign. 2 Tim. 2: 11-13. 
According to His mercy we are saved. Titus 3: 
5-8. 



BIBLE READINGS 107 



Paul's Experience. 
A. D. 59. Least of apostles. 1 Cor. 15: 9. 
A. D. 64. Less than least of saints. Bph. 3: 8. 
A. D. 65. Chief of sinners. ITim. 1: 15. 

Church Services. 

1 Cor. 14: 40. Let all things be done decently 
and in order. 

1 Cor. 14: 26. Let all things be done unto edify- 
ing. 

1 Cor. 10: 31. Whatsoever ye do, do all to the 
glory of God. 

The Spirit in Galatians V. 

Walk in the Spirit (v. 16). 

Led by the Spirit (v. 18). 

Live in the Spirit (v. 25). 

God's Riches. 
Riches of his goodness. Rom. 2: 4. 
Riches of his grace. Eph. 2:7. 
Riches of his glory. Rom. 9: 23. 

Saved. 
By grace. Bph. 2: 5. 

By Jesus Christ. Matt. 1: 21; Luke 19: 10. 
By the Gospel. Rom. 1: 16; 1 Cor. 15: 1-5. 
By faith. Acts 16: 31. 
By repentance. Luke 13: 1-5; 2 Pet. 3: 9. 
By confessing Christ. Matt. 10: 32; Rom. 10: 9. 
By calling on his name. Acts 22: 16; Rom. 10: 13. 
By baptism. Mark 16: 15, 16; 1 Pet. 3: 20, 21. 
By works. Phil. 2: 12; Jas. 2: 24. 



108 



BIBLE READINGS 



Threefold Gospel. 





Facts. 




A 


Com; 


mands. 


Death 


. 1 Cor. 15:15. 


/ \ 


Believe. 


Mk. 16:16. 


Burial 


. 1 Cor. 15:15. 


/ \ 


Repent. 


Acts 2:38. 


Resurrection. 


1 


/ \ 


Be baptized. Mark 


Cor. 


15: 15. 


/ 


/jESUs\ 

THE \V 
CHRIST ^ 


16: 16. 










Promises. 


■ \ 








Remission of Sins. Acts 2: 38. 
Gift of Holy Ghost. Acts 2: 38. 
Gift of eternal life. Rom. 6: 23. 





Facts are to be believed. 
Commands to be obeyed. 
Promises to be enjoyed. 



BIBLE READINGS 109 

All Thine Heart. 
• \^ ^ 

'ROM. IO:iO.Believe[MATT.22:37. Love^ 
MARK 2 : 8 Reason/ \R0M.9:2.Sorrowl 

INTELLECl/ XfEEtilNG. 

EC0R.9: 7 Purpose. 
Heb.4:12. Intenr 

WILL 



The whole heart not only Ivoves and Hates, thus 
including the Feelings, but it Believes and Reasons, 
thus including the Intellect; and Purposes and has 
Intentions, thus including the Will. To change 
the whole heart, therefore, is to change the Intel- 
lect, Feelings and Will. 

All the Heart. 

Serve God with. Josh. 22: 5. 
Love God with. Matt. 22: 37. 
Turn to God with. Deut. 30: 2. 



110 BIBLE READINGS 

Walk before God with. 1 Kings 2: 4. 
Follow God with. 1 Kings 14: 8. 
Seek God with. 2 Chr. 15: 12, 
Praise God with. Psa. 86: 12. ' 
Trust God with. Prov. 3: 5. 
BeHeve God with. Acts 8: 37. 
Obey God with. Deut. 26: 16. 
Rejoice with. Zeph. 3: 14. 

Preach the Word. 

1. It is life. Phil. 2: 16. 

2. It is light. Psa. 119:105. 

3. It is power. Rom. 1: 16. 

4. It is pure. Psa. 119: 140. 

5. It is unchanging. Psa. 119: 86. 

6. It searches. Heb. 4: 12. 

7. It judges. John 12: 48. 

The Bible. 
It tells the sinner of a Saviour. Matt. 1: 21. 
It promises the slave freedom. John 8: 32. 
It proclaims to the rebel pardon. Isa. 55: 6, 7. 
It guides the lost to heaven. John 14: 6. 
It tells the dead of life. Bph. 2: 1-8. 
It points the exile to a home. 2 Sam. 14: 14. 
It offers the weary rest. Matt. 11: 28-30. 

Word of God. 
It is quick (alive) and powerful. Heb. 4: 12. 
It is the power of God unto salvation. Rom. 1: 16. 
We are born again of Word. 1 Pet. 1: 23. 
We grow thereby. 1 Pet. 2: 2. 



BIBLE READINGS 111 

We are cleansed by it. John 15: 3. 

We are sanctified by it. John 17: 7. 

We are thoroughly furnished. 2 Tim. 3: 16, 17. 

We are defended, sword of Spirit. Eph. 6: 17. 

We are judged b}^ it. John 12: 48. 

Better Things of the New Covenant. 



Heb. 


7: 


9. 


Better hope. 


Heb. 


7: 


22. 


Better testament. 


Heb. 


8: 


6. 


Better covenant. 


Heb. 


8: 


6. 


Better promises. 


Heb. 


9: 


23. 


Better sacrifices. 


Heb. 


10: 


34. 


Better substance. 


Heb. 


11: 


35. 


Better resurrection, 


Heb. 


11: 


16. 


^Better country. 


Heb, 


12: 


24. 


Better things. 



Power and Duty of Choice. 

Gen. 3: 6. Adam and Eve, before the fall, like 
God. 

Gen. 4: 7. Cain, after fall, still able to choose. 

Deut. 30: 19. Moses calls on Israel to choose 
good. 

Josh. 24: 15. Joshua calls on Israel to choose 
God or idols. 

Psa. 119: 30. David chooses way of truth. 

Prov. 1: 28, 30. They choose the way of evil. 

Luke 10: 42. Mary chooses good part. 

1 Pet. 3: 9. God not willing that any should 
perish. 

Rev. 22: 17. Whosoever will, may come. 



112 BIBLE READINGS 

Fulfilling the Scriptures. 

Matt. 2: 5. Direct prophecy. 
Matt. 2: 15. Fulfilling conditions. 
Matt. 2: 23. Fulfilling character. 

Crucifixion in Galatians. 

I am crucified with Christ. 2: 20. 
Christ crucified for me. 3:1. 
The flesh crucified in me. 5: 24. 
The world crucified unto me. 6: 14. 
I am crucified unto the world. 6: 14. 

What Constrains Us. 

The fear of punishment. Heb. 10: 28, 29. 
The hope of reward. Rev. 2: 10. 
The love of Christ. 2 Cor. 5: 14. 

For Us — Romans 8. 

Spirit for us. V. 26. 
God for us. V. 31. 
Christ for us. V. 34. 

The Gospel. 
Doctrine, for the head. 
Experience for the heart. 
Work for the hands. 



Matt. 8 
Matt. 8 
Matt. 8 
Matt. 8 



Four Typical Miracles. 

2. Ivcprosy, typifying guilt. 

6. Palsy, typifying impotence. 
14. Fever, typifying passion. 
16. Demoniacy, typifying slavery of sin. 



BIBLE READINGS 113 

Three Kinds of Servants. 

1. Slaves who serve through fear. 

2. Hirelings who serve for w^ages. 

3. Sons who serve from love. 

Jesus, Shepherd. 

John 1: 14. Good shepherd, because lay down 
life. 

Heb. 13: 20. Great shepherd, because rose from 
dead. 

1 Pet. 5: 4. Chief shepherd, because coming 
again. 

Church Trouble Settled. 

Acts 6: 1-7. 
Complaint. V. 1. 
Conference. V. 2. 
Confidence. V. 3. 
Co- work. V. 4. 
Compliance. Vs. 5, 6. 
Conquest. V. 7. 

Unity. 

Jesus' prayer for union. John 17: 20, 21. 
The conversion of world depend upon. John 17: 
21. 

Sin of Division. 1 Cor. 1: 10-13. 
Unity of Spirit. One. Eph. 4: 1-6. 
The body is one. 1 Cor. 12: 12-20. 
Divisions, classed with w^orst sins. Gal. 5: 19-24. 
If hate brother no Christian. 1 John 4: 20, 21. 
8 



114 BIBLE READINGS 

Three Essentials. 

Heb. 9:22. Without shedding of blood, no re- 
mission. 

Heb. 11 : 6. Without faith, impossible to please 
God. 

Heb. 12: 14. Without holiness, no seeing God. 

Precious Blood. 

It brings us nigh. Eph. 2: 13. 

It redeems us. 1 Pet. 1: 19. 

It blots out our sins. Rev. 1: 5. 

It cleanses from all sin. 1 John 1: 7. 

It justifies. Rom. 5:9. 

It brings peace. Col. 1: 20. 

It brings victory. Rev. 12: 11. 

Come. 

God says come. Gen. 7: 1. 
Jesus says come. Matt. 11: 28. 
The Spirit says come. Rev. 21: 17. 

Good Works in Titus. 
To every good work reprobate. 1: 16. 
A pattern of good works. 2: 7. 
Zealous of good works. 2: 14. 
Ready to every good work. 3: 1, 5. 
Careful to maintain good works. 3: 8. 
I^arn to maintain good works. 3: 14. 

Grace and Glory. 
Grace hath appeared. Titus 2: 11. 
Glory shall appear. Titus 2: 13. 



BIBLE READINGS 115 

Jesus Says 

Come unto me — for rest of soul. Matt. 11: 28. 

Follow me — for growi:li in grace. John 21: 19. 

Abide in me — for power to save. John 14: 4. 

Seven Walks in Ephesians. 

2: 2. In trespass and sins, in times past. 

2: 10. In good works. 

4: 1. Worthy of vocation wherewith called 

4: 17. Not as other Gentiles 

5: 2. In love. 

5:8. As children of light. 

5: 16. Circumspectly. 

True Basis of Christian Union. 
Eph. 4: 3-6. 
Unity of headship — one Lord. 
Unity of belief — one faith. 
Unity of obedience — one baptism. 
Unity of hope — one hope of our calling. 
Unity of organization — one body. 
Unity of spirit — in the bond of peace. 

Seven Reasons for Coming to the Lord's Supper. 

1. An act of obedience. Matt. 26: 26. 

2. An act of remembrance. Luke 22: 19. 

3. An act of testimony to His death. 1 Cor. 11: 
26; 5: 7. 

4. An act of confession, that salvation is through 
His blood. Matt. 26: 28. 

5. An act of fellowship. 1 Cor. 10: 16, 17. 



116 BIBLE READINGS 

6. An act of praise and thanksgiving. lyuke 22: 
19; 1 Cor. 10: 26; 11: 22. 

7. An act proclaiming second coming of Christ. 
1 Cor. 11: 26. 

Philippians. 

In the Lord, 

1. Trust in the Lord. 2: 19, 24. 

2. Rejoice in the Lord. 3: 1; 4: 4, 10. 

3. Stand fast in the Lord. 4:1. 

The Gospel, 

Fellowship in the gospel. 1:5, 
Furtherance of the gospel. 1: 12 
Defense of the gospel. 1 : 17. 
Faith in the gospel. 1 : 27. 
Service in the gospel. 2: 22. 
Laboring in the gospel. 4: 3. 

4. 6. Be careful for nothing. 

Be prayerful for everything. 
Be thankful for anything. 

Three Shalls. 

4: 7. Peace of God shall keep. 
4: 9. God of peace shall be with. 
4: 19. My God shall supply. 



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